I'm Saving You
by SalSassy
Summary: A/U: Catherine has the two little girls from Immortality. She is also pregnant by a man from her past. No set timeline. Not sure how the story will progress but reviews are welcome.
1. Chapter 1

"Maria, can you grab that bag of flour please?" Catherine asked as she played a hand game with the four-year-old in the basket. Catherine had three more things to get on her list and they were all in the fruit and veggie section. She turned the basket off the baking goods aisle and went in that direction. The older girl sat back down in the basket and played her handheld videogame. The younger girl took ahold of Catherine's left hand and created some sort of game to play. Catherine had just grabbed the last thing on her list when her back pains started up again. _Not your smartest move Cath. Agreeing to take in two little girls while you're pregnant by a man you hate._ Catherine when to check out oblivious to another person in the supermarket that was watching her.

Heather Kessler only came to the supermarket because she agreed to make a friend a blueberry pie. She was in her own world until she heard a very familiar voice. _{Maria, can you grab that bag of flour please}_ It's almost impossible not to remember that voice. Her voice was a cross between husky and silky. _Why does she always sound so angelic?_ Heather had been smitten with Catherine Willows for years. It stung a little that Catherine would only talk to her in a professional setting. Even then, she had lost the flirty and charming demeanor. The next time that she saw Catherine was around the time that Heather lost her daughter. She was so warm and never judging. She knew that no one could bring Zoe back but she also never took pity on Heather. Heather thought that they'd almost become friends, but that all changed. Catherine pulling away actually caused Heather to drift more towards Grissom. Of course, there was flirtation and attraction between the two but Heather knew early on that his heart belonged to someone else. Catherine was far harder for Heather to read than Grissom. She played it close to the vest. Heather could only gather that Catherine stayed guarded because her trust in others had been completely shredded. Heather knew from the minute that Catherine took time out of her life to continuously check on her after Zoe's death, that she was someone worth holding on to. Catherine came around every day for about two weeks. They even had a picnic at Zoe's gravesite. Catherine was someone that Heather hoped would stay in her life for the long haul. Now after 5 years, Heather sees her again but it seems that she moved on with her life.

Heather knew that Catherine had a daughter named Lindsey but she didn't know that she had two more. Heather figured that they looked like their father instead of Catherine. Heather felt a pang of jealously that Catherine had found someone…..someone other than her. She got the last few things she needed and purposely chose a checkout line far away from Catherine. Heather was in a trance watching Catherine for a few minutes before snapping out of it and checking out. Heather walked out into the parking lot and groaned as she realized that she was parked behind Catherine's car. She saw her struggling to get her kids and her groceries in the car at the same time. "You need some help?" Catherine froze as she heard a voice behind her. She'd know that voice anywhere. She turned around and her breath caught as she saw Heather's beautiful face. Catherine had missed Heather so much but she'd seen how cozy her and Gil were. In that moment, she knew that Heather cared for Gil more than her. She decided the best thing to do was pull away from Heather and live her own life. "Catherine? Hello?" Heather said with a smile as she waved her hand in front of Heather's face. "Hi Heather. It's been a while." "That it has." The tension between the two women was unbearable and thick in the air. Heather cleared her throat and Catherine hid her blushing face. "You need some help? You kind of have a lot going on." Catherine was hesitant to be any closer to Heather than she was but nonetheless, she shook her head. "I don't think I quite thought out getting the girls in the car as well as the food."

Heather pursed her lips and moved behind Catherine to grabbed the bags from her cart and put them in the trunk of her SUV. "Maria sit down in your seat sweetheart" Catherine said as she strapped in four-year-old Anisa, who had Catherine's hair wrapped around her hands. Catherine pulled away too fast and didn't realize that Anisa had such a grip on her hair. "Ow! Anisa, pumpkin can you let go of my hair? I need to buckle your sister in." "I'm sorry" Anisa said as she let go of Catherine's hair and bowed her head. Catherine gently lifted her chin until their eyes met. "It's okay. I just need to make sure that you both are buckled in right before we leave." Catherine kissed Anisa's forehead and closed her door. She walked around the car and buckled Maria in her seat. When she finished, she closed the door and met Heather at the trunk. "You really didn't have to do that Heather. I would've figured it out eventually." Heather gave Catherine a broad smile, "It's okay really. I didn't mind. Besides, I'm parked behind you." Catherine turned her head. "When did you switch from the BMW to the Bentley?" "I have them both." "So, you actually did the private practice thing?" Heather couldn't hide her shock, "You remember?" "I remember we used to talk about the next chapter in your life. I remember you saying that you always put therapy on the back burner. And I remember telling you to go for it and it looks like you did. That's great Heather, I'm happy for you." _Although it'd be nice to share that happiness with you_

Heather picked at her nails for a few seconds before looking back at Catherine. "Well I'm not the only one who opened up a new chapter in her life. I remember you saying that you've always regretted not giving Lindsey siblings. It looks like that changed." _You have no idea._

Catherine bit her lip, "Yeah I guess things have changed for the both of us." "Did you think we'd not speak for 5 years?" Heather asked as she looked into Catherine's eyes. "No, no I didn't." "Maybe we can change that." Heather said as more of a question than a statement. Catherine pulled away, "I don't think that's a good idea. Things aren't the way they were 5 years ago Heather. Let's just keep this run-in one of the few that we have in the future." Heather was starting to get ticked off at Catherine's attitude. "Why do you get to make that decision? Is this you pulling away from me again?" Catherine stopped dead in her tracks. Her hand was on the door handle of the driver's side. She turned to face Heather and for the first time both women saw the hurt and pain in each other's eyes. "I'm making that call to protect you. Trust me, Heather you don't want this. You don't want me. You don't want complicated. You don't want my baggage. You think that you want this but you want someone who'll be there. I've already proven that I'll leave and that will crush you later on." Heather got right in Catherine's face as their eyes locked. "Why do you keep running from me? Why don't you want to let me in?" Catherine blinked back the tears, "Because I'm not who you think I am. The more you find out about me, the more you'll reject me. I am protecting you from me because I'll only hurt you." "You don't get to make that call Cat? Where is my opinion? Where is my choice?" "You don't want me Heather" Catherine said one final time before climbing into her SUV and starting the engine. Heather walked back to her car and load her own bags in it as she watched Catherine pull off out the corner of her eye.

"I'm not letting you go Cat. I do want you and I'll prove it to you" Heather said out loud to no one in particular as she got in her own car and headed home.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Memories…or Something Like Them

 _6 years earlier_

" _What is it that you truly wanted to do as a kid?" Catherine asked as she twirled the spoon languidly around the ornate tea cup before placing it to the side. Heather leaned back a little in her chair and added more cream to her tea. "I've always like talking to people. You know, helping them through their problems." "Why did it change?" Catherine inquired as she never broke eye contact. "I realized that I had to handle my own problems before I took someone else's on." Catherine nodded her head in understanding. "There's a story in there." Catherine didn't need to look at Heather to know that she was broaching a subject that was touchy. "Want to swim?" Heather smiled widely, grateful that Catherine didn't force her to talk about her past. "Yeah I'd love to." Heather and Catherine both changed into bikinis and went outside to Heather's pool in the backyard. Heather watched from her position in the water as Catherine dove like a swan into the massive pool. Heather had to bite back a groan as Catherine unintentionally rubbed against her. "So, Heather are you an only child?" "No. I have an older brother. You?" "On my mom's side, yes. On my dad's, I have two brothers."_

 _The two were in the middle of the pool swinging their legs at a steady rhythm to keep them afloat. "Cat, what did your parents do for a living?" Catherine stopped moving for a second, "Did you just call me Cat?" "It's a nickname. I'm sure that in this pop-cultured world, you've heard of it." "No one has given me a nickname since my dad." "What was it if you don't mind me asking?" Heather asked in an even tone. "Mugs. I was obsessed with coffee mugs when I was a kid. I used them to make all sorts of projects and then I collected them until I was a teenager." "Why'd you stop?" "My attention was no longer on inanimate objects but more so on ones that can get a person in a lot of trouble." It was now Heather's turn to drop the subject. Heather moved to get out of the pool and Catherine followed suit. "Hey Heather, you mind if we go somewhere for a little bit. Heather sighed inwardly; she really didn't want the company but she knew that Catherine wasn't going to leave her alone to handle her grief in solitude._

 _Catherine and Heather went into Heather's house and upstairs to her room. Catherine went into the bathroom near the guestroom where she'd sleep occasionally. They showered separately. Catherine finished her shower first and knocked on Heather's door. She thought she heard a muffled 'Come in'. Catherine opened the door and saw a naked, wet Heather shielded only by towels on her body and hair. Catherine could make out a scar in-between her shoulder blades. Heather turned around and gave Catherine a small smile. "I'm sorry. I thought that you said come in" Catherine rushed out before turning around to leave the room. "No it's okay. I laid out a change of clothes for you but forgot to give them to you before I took a shower." Catherine grabbed the clothes and rushed back to her room. They finished dressing separately and Heather waited for Catherine in the foyer. "Can you put this on please?" Catherine asked as she held out a blindfold to Heather. Heather didn't even ask any questions before grabbing the blindfold and putting it on. Heather anxiously sat in the passenger seat of Catherine's car as they drove for a while. Catherine giggled softly, "I know that you're trying to figure out where we're going. I'm not telling you. You'll just have to wait." Heather slouched back in the seat and Catherine couldn't help but smile at the pout that graced her flawless features. Catherine pulled into a parking spot and got out the car first. She went around and opened Heather's door. Heather immediately smelled fresh cut grass._

" _Are we at a park?" Heather asked as she inhaled deeply. Catherine smiled at the inquisitiveness, "Something like that. Hold on to my waist; I won't let you fall." Heather took a deep breath and used nimble fingers to hold onto Catherine's body. Heather had a love/hate relationship with being this close to Catherine. They walked in silence minus the few trips and chuckles coming from both women. Catherine grabbed Heather's hands and gently removed them from her body. Heather felt Catherine walk behind her and slightly brush against her. That motion alone gave Heather goosebumps. Catherine slowly untied the knot of the blindfold and pulled it away from Heather's eyes. Heather let her eyes adjust to the sun before realization of where they were dawned upon her. "I thought that maybe we could have a picnic" Catherine said somewhat shy._

 _Heather didn't respond right away. "Heather, this is a bad idea. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overstep." Catherine said as she kneeled down to start packing up the picnic. Heather stopped her with a gentle grab of the wrist. "No, it…this is really thoughtful. You didn't have to do this." "Look, I may not know a whole lot about losing a child, but I do know about finding ways to try and deal with grief. I was thinking that maybe we could make this picnic an annual thing. We can celebrate her life and not her death." Catherine said hopefully. She and Heather sat at Zoe's grave and talked for what seemed like an eternity._

" _To answer your earlier question, my mom was a Vegas showgirl and my dad was a casino mogul" Catherine blurted out as she poured Heather some more tea. "Well my mother was a Literary teacher and my father was an engineer." "What did you major in at Harvard?" "Sociology oddly enough but I've always had a passion for Psychology. What about you? What did you study in school?"_

 _Catherine nervously gnawed on her bottom lip before speaking, "Originally, I got into Julliard for ballet but I dropped out." "Why?" "A girl like me didn't belong in a place like that. I felt out of place the entire time that I was there. I wasn't raised in high society and pretending to be someone I'm not just isn't who I am. The other reason was that I wanted to punish my mother." Catherine looked at Heather before looking back down. "My mother thought that I slept my way in to Julliard but all I did was perform at my high school in one of the numerous programs that she never bothered to attend. Life was not easy in the Flynn household. When my mother wasn't doing God knows what on the strip, she was berating me constantly on choices that I made." "There's a story in there" Heather mimicked Catherine from earlier that day. "Yeah there is." The two of them finished their food in silence before Catherine finally checked her watch and realized how late it'd gotten. "I have to go. I have some errands to run before shift tonight." Heather stood and helped Catherine to stand. They went back to the car and the pair listened to the radio as they drove back to Heather's house. Catherine pulled the car into the driveway and Heather got out. She leaned against the open window and smiled at Catherine, "Breakfast after shift?" Catherine gave a wide smile, "I look forward to it."_

"Mommy Catherine. The doorbell is ringing." Maria said as she tugged at Catherine's forearm. Catherine pushed herself off the couch and placed a hand under her slightly rounded stomach. She didn't look through the peephole but just opened the door. On the other side stood another court runner. "Ms. Willows, you've been served." "You have to be shitting me right now" Catherine muttered out to herself. She yanked her phone off the counter and went into her home office to call her lawyer. Several minutes of frustrated conversation later, Catherine was ready to explode. "So not only does he get to drag this out until I deliver but now he gets to drag me to a doctor to get poked and prodded? No! There is no way in hell that I'm letting him make me get amniocentesis. It's a risky procedure. He was the one that cheated on me and not the other way around! If this is the game that he wants to play, then he'll have to wait until I deliver. I'm paying you so deal with it!" Catherine opened the window in her office and took in a deep breath. _I just want Heather._ Catherine felt the tears well up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She heard the door open and saw Anisa holding a picture. "I made this for you Mommy Catherine." "Thank you my love. Are you and your sister ready? You have art little one and Maria has music class." Anisa shook her head yes and ran off to get her backpack. Catherine ran a hand through her hair and walked out her office to get the girls ready. Catherine locked the house up and drove across town to drop the girls off at their scheduled activities. The girls would take a couple of hours and they were in the same facility so Catherine decided to go grab a cup of tea.

Just after Catherine ordered herself a mint tea, her phone started to ring. "Willows." "Mom?" "What's wrong Lindsey?" "Nothing. I was wondering if it'd be okay if I took the girls to this Disney on Ice show tonight?" "I thought you were going out with Rachel?" "I was but her mom is going on a date and she has to watch her little sister tonight. I just figured I'd give you a night of peace and take the girls to the show with Rachel." Catherine smiled to herself. It warmed her heart that Lindsey was so accepting of Maria and Anisa. "I'd really like that Linds. Thank you sweetheart." "It's no problem. I got out of theatre early, I can get the girls from music and art, then we can get something to eat, go to the show, and be home in time for bedtime stories. Is that okay?" "That's perfect." "Why don't you take some time for yourself and get a massage or something?" Catherine went back to tell the girls the new plan for the night. If the excited shrills were anything to go by, then Catherine knew that they were happy. She did plan on getting a massage but she needed to make one stop first.

"I never meant to her hurt. I never wanted to hurt her. The timing was wrong. I'm just not right for her. I'm sorry Zoe, I really am" Catherine said as she stood in front of Zoe's grave with tears trickling down her face. Heather always came here at the same time but was running late today. When she got there, she was baffled to see a hunched over redhead. She silently got closer until she could see the form of a woman's body. She heard Catherine's voice. Heather grabbed Catherine from behind by her shoulders and just held her. Catherine knew those arms because that wasn't the first time that they'd held her and made her feel safe. "Let me go. Let go of me." Catherine said weakly as she tried to get away from Heather. "No. I've got you Cat. Let it out sweetie. Let it out." Catherine dissolved into loud sobs and rested her weight completely on Heather as she dropped to her knees. After nearly an hour of crying, Catherine started to calm down while Heather stroked her hair softly and occasionally kissed her temple. "Please don't leave me" Catherine begged in a low voice as she held on to Heather for dear life. "Please stop pushing me away Cat" Heather said in a voice she didn't recognize.

"Now what?" "Breakfast. There's a lot I need to tell you…..things that might make you walk out." Heather chuckled as she looked at Catherine, "Unless you turn into ET, I'm not going anywhere."


	3. Chapter 3

Horror Movies and Aquariums

Heather watched intently as Catherine picked over her waffles. "You love waffles yet you're picking over them." Catherine looked up at Heather's concerned and confused face before nervously biting her lip. "I just don't want waffles." "So, why'd you order them?" Heather asked as she reached for Catherine's plate. "I'm pregnant" Catherine blurted out as she tried desperately to avoid Heather's gaze. Heather sat frozen, mouth agape, as she tried to process the information Catherine just let spill out. She could sense how uncomfortable Catherine was. She grabbed the menu at the edge of their table. "So, what are you craving?" Catherine looked up and gave Heather a small smile. "Fries and bananas."

Catherine giggled at Heather's repulsed face. "That's disgusting Cat." "Oh, don't act like you didn't crave anything weird when you were pregnant." Heather patted the empty space next to her. "Come and sit next to me." Catherine got up, as did Heather, and moved to sit next to her. Heather signaled towards their waitress and ordered Catherine fries and bananas as she started to dig into Catherine's unwanted waffles. "I've missed your giggles." Heather said as she looked at Catherine out the corner of her eye. "I haven't had many reasons to smile in a while." "So, I take it the baby isn't one of those things." Catherine let out a breath as the waitress returned with her food. "This baby is one of the few things that I have to smile about. The other thing is the girls. All three of my girls." "About your girls?"

"Maria and Anisa are adopted. When my father died, he left me a piece of his casino. Their mom, Eva worked for me at the casino. Their father was an abusive drunk and drug addict. It took her a while to leave him. He couldn't handle it. After her shift one night, he followed her. They fought and he killed her. Thankfully the girls were in an overnight daycare and weren't home. She didn't have anyone else and I just felt-" "Obligated", Heather finished. Catherine shook her head yes. "Maria was four when I took them in and Anisa was 2. I've never lied to them and I broke the situation down as much as I could." "You're amazing Catherine. You are an amazing woman." Heather placed a hand on Catherine's face and Catherine leaned into it with a gentle smile. "Eat your fries and bananas Cat." Catherine and Heather ate in silence and left the small café. They got into Heather's car, "You want me to take you back to the cemetery so you can get your car?" Catherine shook her head. "No, you can take me home. That is if you want to. I moved into a new house about a year ago and it's finally finished. I'd love to show you." Heather smiled, "I would love to. Come on."

Heather opened the passenger door and Catherine climbed in. Heather drove in comfortable silence as she rested her forearm and hand on the arm rest. Catherine absentmindedly grabbed Heather's hand and intertwined their fingers as she looked out the window. Heather smiled to herself and continued driving. Heather pulled into the driveway and was pleasantly surprised by Catherine's house. Catherine smiled and the two women got out of the vehicle. Catherine unlocked the door and turned the alarm off. She walked further into the house and Heather followed while taking in the sight of Catherine's beautiful home. She stopped in front of a large wall filled with photos. "What's this wall?" Catherine saddled up next to Heather. "It's my remembrance wall. I let anyone who comes over add a photo to the wall if they want to. No one has to but I just figured that having a place to honor the people that others have lost is better than nothing." Catherine finished with a shrug. Catherine looked at Heather who was staring at a certain picture. "That was my roommate at Julliard. She looks a lot like Zoe now that I think about it." "Would you mind if I put a picture of Zoe up?" "Not at all. You can put one up whenever you feel like it."

Catherine waved Heather in the direction of the kitchen. "You have an aquarium as your sink?" Heather asked with a look that mirrored a kid in a candy store. "Yeah. I really love fish and it's actually been a good idea for the girls. They both love _Finding Nemo_ and the aquatic exhibit at the zoo. They love it, so it's pretty much a permanent fixture in the Willows household." Heather was entranced by the aquarium and didn't notice Catherine watching her intently. Catherine felt her body jolt slightly and rushed over to Heather. "What's wrong?" Heather asked worriedly. Catherine gave her a wide grin and placed Heather's hand on the lower part of her belly. Heather felt the same kicking that Catherine did and smiled widely. "How far along are you?" "Six months." The kicking subsided for the moment and both women walked into the living room. Heather couldn't help but notice the change in Catherine's demeanor. "What's wrong Cat?" Heather asked softly as she reached out to push some of Catherine's hair behind her ear. Catherine looked up at Heather with watery eyes. "The father cares more about trying to say this baby isn't his than the fact that he helped create this child." Heather moved closer to Catherine, "Forget about him. He doesn't deserve you or this baby. You're better off without him."

Catherine balled up in Heather's lap and rested her head on Heather's chest. "His name is Chris Bezich. We dated for a little bit and we broke up because he cheated on me. I went by his club one night to surprise him with dinner and I was the one surprised with him screwing someone on his desk. He's been putting me through the ringer ever since he found out I was pregnant. That was my fault because when I found out, I tried to be the civilized one and give him a shot at being a father. That blew up in my face because the only thing he's been doing is throwing up roadblocks and now it's turned into a big custody case and I haven't even delivered yet." Heather rubbed her hands up and down Catherine's back and was content when she leaned into her even more. "The first mistake he made was screwing you over. The second was him underestimating how much you love your children. And the third was not thinking that you had people in your corner who were just as stubborn." Catherine looked up at Heather and stared into her eyes. Both women felt a pull towards one another. "You mean it? You're not going anywhere?" "Not unless you truly want me to." "I want you to stay", Catherine whispered.

While holding Catherine, Heather stared at both the bookshelf and the shelf that was filled with DVDs. "Which one do you want?" Catherine asked with her eyes closed as she nuzzled into Heather's neck. Heather shivered and Catherine noticed but didn't say anything. "What makes you think that I am looking at either? Maybe I'm enjoying the view of what's in my arms." Catherine chuckled lightly, "I'm flattered but I know you weren't looking at me. If memory serves me right, you absolutely love DVDs but you have a deeper love for books. You mentioned once that you loved my taste in books and I remember your tastes for all genres of movies. So, which one were you looking at?" Heather smiled and pulled Catherine a little tighter. "Movies. Can we watch a scary movie?" "Sure. Child's Play or Halloween? Wait before you answer let me guess, Halloween because you want to watch the rest of the collection, right?" Heather giggled, "Yes. I would love to watch Halloween." "You know I missed your giggles too", Catherine said as she played with Heather's bracelet. "I'm happy that we found each other again." "Me too." The two women watched movies in comfortable silence while occasionally snacking on popcorn and pretzels. Just as they started to drift off, Catherine heard the front door open and the click of Lindsey's heels. Anisa was asleep on Lindsey's shoulder and Maria was nodding while standing up. Catherine stood up and grabbed Anisa and Lindsey reached down to pick up Maria. "Lindsey this is Heather Kessler, remember? Heather this is Lindsey."

Heather and Lindsey shook hands and Lindsey took Maria upstairs. "I'll be back in a second Heather." "Okay take you time" Heather replied. Catherine followed Lindsey upstairs. They quickly bathed the girls and dressed them in pajamas. Lindsey tucked Maria in and Catherine kissed her on the forehead. Catherine tucked Anisa in and kissed her forehead gently. "Mom, she's good for you" Lindsey said as she watched Catherine turn on Anisa's nightlight. Catherine turned around with a shocked expression. "Linds what do you mean?" In typical teenage fashion, Lindsey rolled her eyes. "You two have always had some sort of connection. There's a light back in your eyes that hasn't been there in a long time. it's just a little sad that it took you about 6 years to figure that out. Good night mom." Lindsey said with a kiss to her mother's temple. "Goodnight butterfly." Catherine laughed to herself before shutting Anisa's door and going back downstairs. Heather was staring intently at the screen and didn't hear Catherine come up behind her. She jumped slightly as Catherine wrapped her arms around her shoulder, "Someone is really into the movie." Heather chuckled and Catherine walked around the couch. Catherine felt bold, so she sat down in Heather's lap. Heather immediately stiffened, surprised at Catherine's actions. "Wh-what are you doing Cat?" "Sitting in your lap, Kinky." "Did you just call me Kinky?" "It's a nickname. I'm sure that in this pop cultured world you've heard of it. Besides, I've laid eyes on your Dominion. I have an idea of just how kinky you could be", Catherine said as she batted her lashes and smiled widely at Heather. Catherine wiggled her hips a bit more and got more comfortable in Heather's lap. Heather leaned back into the couch and pulled Catherine with her. "What changed? You've been apprehensive all day and now you've become very forward." "I was told that what's in front of me is good for me." Catherine turned around and looked Heather deep in the eyes. She leaned in closer to Heather and gently kissed her on the lips. Heather's eyes fluttered closed as she leaned in for another kiss. Catherine turned her body further in Heather's hold and deepened the kiss as soon as Heather parted her lips. The two women broke for air and pressed their foreheads together. "Why'd you stop?" Catherine asked. "Because I want to do this right. I want to take you out on a date to wine and dine you. Are you going to let me do that?" Catherine nipped at Heather's lips once more before pulling away. "Yes. I would love that." Heather kissed Catherine deeply once more and rubbed her belly. Catherine smiled into the kiss and gripped Heather's hand. "I can't wait for our first date." "Neither can I."


	4. Chapter 4

"Which one? The dark purple or the red and black? So, graham crackers are more interesting than you helping me figure out what to wear?" Catherine was rewarded with the giggles of a 4 and 6-year-old. The girls were sitting with their legs crossed and playing with various pillows. "Wear the red and black. It's slimming but still sexy" Lindsey yelled out in a muffled tone. "Are you still sleeping Linds?" "No, I'm awake. I'm watching this movie called 88 Minutes. The red and black one will knock her socks off." Catherine went into her closet and shimmied into the dress. She looked in the long mirror and had to admit that she looked good, even being pregnant. Catherine opted for minimal makeup and pulled her hair up into a glammed-up ponytail with loose tendrils framing her face. Catherine looked in the mirror once more before laughing at herself and nervously biting her lip. _What am I doing? Why did I wait until I was pregnant to try and date Heather? I'm going to make a fool out of myself._ "Mom. Mom."

Catherine whipped around at her name being called. She saw Lindsey holding a pair of chunky heels and a small clutch. "Heather said she'd be here in five minutes. You should wear these. They complement your outfit." Catherine gave a small smile and Lindsey noticed the apprehension in her mother's face. "Everything's going to be fine. You're going to have a great time. You look amazing." Catherine had just finished putting her shoes on when the doorbell rang. Catherine rushed out of the bathroom and gave her three girls kisses on their temples and headed downstairs. She took one last deep breath before opening the door. Heather's eyes slightly widen and she felt her mouth run dry as she stared at Catherine. "Cat. You look so gorgeous." Catherine blushed at the compliment. "Thank you. I thought for sure you'd be wearing black or red or both. You look beautiful too Heather." "Shall we?" Heather asked with her hand extended towards Catherine. The strawberry blonde smiled and grabbed Heather's hand.

Heather drove for about 10 minutes before Catherine spoke up again. "We were almost going to be dressed alike. One of my choices was a deep purple dress. Purple looks great on you by the way" Catherine said with a small smirk as she, not so innocently, ran her fingertips up and down Heather's right arm. Heather sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and tried to ignore the goosebumps Catherine caused. "You're distracting me sweetheart. We do want to get to the restaurant in one piece, right?" Catherine smiled, "I'm sorry." "No, you're not. You like seeing the effect you have on me." "Maybe just a little." "Don't worry sweetie. I give as much teasing as I get." "I can't wait." The two finally stopped teasing each other when Heather pulled into the restaurant parking lot and parked the car. They both got out and walked towards the front doors, "What is this place? I've never been here before." "Good, because I wanted it to be a surprise" Heather said smoothly. They walked inside and Catherine's eyes lit up. "An underwater restaurant? In Vegas?" Heather laughed lightly, "Technically it's not completely underwater but yeah pretty much."

"Want to share an appetizer or are you having some weird pregnancy cravings?" Heather asked with a mock-disgust face. Catherine gave a hearty laugh. "I'm not craving anything right now." The two women shared an appetizer and both ate their entrees while holding each other's hands across the table. Heather refused to let Catherine pay and instead told her to figure where they'd get dessert. "Heather, we can just go to the store and get dessert there." Heather couldn't help but laugh at the devious grin that Catherine was sporting. Catherine and Heather walked through the small grocery store laughing at the reactions they were getting. "We must look completely ridiculous being this dressed up in a grocery store at 10:00 at night." Catherine kept pushing the basket and felt her body light on fire when Heather got directly behind her and placed her hands on both sides of Catherine's and pressed her front to Catherine's back. "Look at that. I have quite the effect on my little kitty cat, don't I?" Heather purred out in Catherine's ear. The redhead bit her lip and squeezed her thighs together. "Can we please hurry up and get out of here?" The pair grabbed the various snacks that they wanted and went to the checkout. They got back into Heather's car. Catherine's phone chimed with a text message. _Have fun tonight. You're allowed to have a sleepover if you want_ _-Linds._ "Are you needed back?" Heather inquired without taking her eyes off the road. Catherine laughed, "No. Apparently, I'm being privileged with the option of a sleepover if I want one." "So, do you want one?" Catherine looked over at Heather and felt her arousal peak, as it always did, once again and her pulse started to race. "Why? You want to show me just how kinky you can be?" "You'll have to say yes to find that out."

Catherine grabbed Heather's hand and gently kissed her knuckles, "I'm saying yes." Heather smiled back at Catherine and turned at the light to go towards the direction of her house. They pulled up to what was once the Dominion and Heather unlocked the heavy mahogany door. "Kitchen?" Catherine asked while looking around Heather's place like it was the DaVinci code. Heather pointed in a direction opposite of where Catherine was standing and smiled to herself as Catherine took off. Heather stood in the doorway watching as Catherine put the popsicles and sugar-free ice cream in the freezer. Heather quietly took her heels off and slowly walked over to Catherine. She got behind her again, "Need some help with that?" Heather asked as watched Catherine struggled with the wrapper on one of the sugar-free popsicles. Heather pecked Catherine's neck and slowed trailed kisses up towards Catherine's ear before pulling the lobe between her teeth and suckling. "Mmhm. The popsicle's melting. Heather turned Catherine around and captured her lips in a sweet kiss. Catherine smiled into the kiss and yelped when Heather lifted her up to sit on the countertop. Heather stood between Catherine's spread legs and took off her shoes one by one before leaning in to kiss her again. Catherine lifted her hand up to reveal some of the popsicle running down her forearm. Heather licked the trail of liquid from her elbow up to her hands. Heather locked eyes with Catherine as she took the popsicle into her mouth.

Catherine eyes dilated as Heather moaned with every lick of the popsicle she took. Heather pulled back with an innocent look on her face. "The flavor of this popsicle is good" Heather leaned in so that their lips were almost touching and whispered, "But I bet you taste better" Catherine kissed Heather fully on the lips and tossed the still melting popsicle in the sink nearby. Heather trailed hands up Catherine's body and back down again to rest on her hips. "So kitty cat, how about that sleepover now?" "Lead the way my little Kinky girl." "You're gonna pay for that one."


	5. Chapter 5

Heather stroked the long locks that were splayed on her chest. She looked down with a smile at the sleeping woman wrapped in her arms. Heather pondered on how at peace Catherine looked. She didn't fail to realize that Catherine had her hand rested protectively over her pregnant belly. Heather reached over to intertwine their fingers and relished in the warmth of her belly. Heather found herself at peace just listening to the lulling sound of Catherine's heartbeat as she rested her head on Catherine's shoulder. "I can hear you thinking" Catherine said without opening her eyes but snuggling closer to Heather. "I'm just thinking about last night."

" _The flavor of this popsicle is good" Heather leaned in so that their lips were almost touching and whispered, "But I bet you taste better" Catherine kissed Heather fully on the lips and tossed the still melting popsicle in the sink nearby. Heather trailed hands up Catherine's body and back down again to rest on her hips. "So kitty cat, how about that sleepover now?" "Lead the way my little Kinky girl." "You're gonna pay for that one."_

 _Heather helped Catherine off the counter and held her hand as they traveled to her bedroom. Once they reached her bedroom door, Catherine chuckled a little bit. "What's so funny." "It kind of weird not hearing all the screaming like last time." Heather playfully swatted Catherine's shoulder, "You've been here more than once since I shut down my dominion. Was there screaming then?" Heather asked with a perfectly raised brow. "There could have been" Catherine muttered under her breath. "What was that?" Heather asked with a smirk. Catherine took closer steps to Heather and toyed with the fabric of her dress as she brought her face closer to Heather's. "In all the times that I'd came here, I never got to do something that I truly wanted to." "And what's that?" Heather egged on as she ran her fingers through Catherine's hair and brought them closer together. "This" Catherine said as she captured Heather's lips in a sweet kiss. She nudged her tongue against Heather's closed lips until she opened them, granting Catherine the access she truly needed. Catherine greedily explored Heather's mouth and reached behind her to open the bedroom door and push her inside. Once inside, Heather spun Catherine around and deposited her on the bed, effectively breaking the heated kiss. She looked down at the glorious pout of Catherine's lips and broke out into a breathtaking smile. "I'm almost positive that you want to be dominant with me but until you deliver, I'm not comfortable with that. So, for now, I would like to be the dominant one." Catherine's pout morphed into surprise and comfort as her eyes pricked with fresh tears._

 _Catherine couldn't believe just how much Heather cared about her and the baby. She felt tears slide down her cheeks and she wiped them quickly, "Damn you. My makeup was perfect." Heather stepped in-between Catherine's legs and bent down to wipe her tears away. She cupped Catherine's chin between her index finger and thumb until the strawberry blonde looked up at her. "You're perfect. Let me show you just how perfect you are to me." Heather pulled Catherine to stand and she reached behind her to tug the zipper of her dress down until the material dropped and pooled at her ankles. She stared at Catherine's milky skin for a moment before taking off her own dress and returning her attention to Catherine. She kissed her way up the slim body, spending more time than necessary at the curve of the belly, and slipped her hands into Catherine's silk panties as she once again slipped her tongue into Catherine's mouth. Catherine's hips bucked as she opened her legs wider to accommodate Heather adding a third finger as she laid her on the bed. Catherine's moans increased when Heather bit her neck before soothing the slight sting with the tip of her tongue. Rather than leave her hands idle, Catherine kneaded her tender and round breasts. Heather saw this and moved her hands away and took over working on her nipples. She continuously stroked her fingers against Catherine's g-spot as she sucked on her nipples. Catherine's whimpers encouraged her to move faster. Heather felt Catherine clawing at her wrist as she buried her fingers deeper into the redhead's body. She smiled against Catherine's nipple as she watched the woman's back arch deeply and her free hand fist the sheets underneath her. Catherine's mouth opened in a silent cry as her eyes went wide and her orgasm coated Heather's fingers and ran out to slowly wet her palm. Heather pulled her hand away and licked it completely clean before kissing her lightly on the lips. Heather waited for her blue eyes to open before grinning at her. "Did you enjoy it?" "More than you know. You didn't-" "I did. Your pleasure turned me on greatly." Catherine nuzzled her head in Heather's neck and started to drift off. "Sleep sweetie. I'll be right here when you wake up. I promise."_

"That may be true but I can tell that you're thinking about something else." "What if the girls—your girls—don't like me. Where would that leave us? Will there even be an us?" Catherine finally opened her eyes and looked at the truly worried look on Heather's face. She shifted in Heather's arms and faced her while pressing their bodies together. "The girls will love you. I'm almost positive that I love you. I think I've been in love with you for 5 years and just too much of a coward to tell you. Lindsey actually pushed me to be with you. She said that it was sad that I did realize that we've had a connection for 6 years. Hell she even picked the dress I wore last night and encouraged me to stay with you for the night. Anisa and Maria will just have to warm up to you. They are just used to it being Lindsey, me, and the guys at the lab. I don't think that it will take them long to realize how incredible you are." Catherine smiled warmly at Heather and reached her hand on rubbed the apple of her cheek. "When you say guys at the lab you mean?" Heather asked. Catherine toyed with Heather's hair, "D.B., Nick, Greg, Morgan, Doc Robbins, Finn, and David." "Who's Finn? You didn't mention Sara."

"When I got demoted—yes I got demoted after the Ray Langston/Nathan Haskell thing-" "I know Ray Langston. He and Sara came by my office to ask for help on a case. I warned him that he was in danger with Nathan Haskell. I told him that the good person in him would not be able to catch him." "You were right. Anyways, Ecklie demoted me and brought in D.B. At first, I couldn't stand him but he's actually not that bad and it worked out with me being pregnant and all. Finn is another me basically; I didn't like her either at first but she's not all that bad. Speaking of Sara, she and I aren't on the best of terms these days. A few months back, before I announced my pregnancy, Sara and Gil were having issues and they both asked my opinion. I told the both of them that it wasn't my business so I wouldn't take sides. Gil accepted that but Sara flipped out. She brought her issue with me to work—which is something I can't respect. She started screaming that not taking a side is taking a side. I refused to let Sara stress me out the way she wanted to so I left it alone and now we don't talk. I rarely talk to Gil as it is so it's not that uncommon for us not to talk. Greg is convinced that Sara is in love with me" Catherine said with a laugh; she looked at Heather. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "Is it possible that she is?" "What? In love with me? There is no way that Sara Sidle is in love with me!" Catherine said with a shocked expression as she sat up in bed and faced Heather. Heather smoothed out the pillow beneath her body, "Is it really that hard to believe?" "Yeah it kind of is." "Catherine, you are a stunning, intelligent, independent, caring, giving, badass, genuine, sincere, and amazing person and friend. It's not that hard to believe that she could be in love with you." "You really think that she's in love with me?" "I remember you telling me that whenever Greg or Nick would specifically invite you somewhere, Sara would get jealous. Even after she and Gil got together, he mentioned that you and Sara spent a lot of time together." "I just figured that she felt left out when the guys asked me to go somewhere. I was just willing to do things like go-karts and rollercoasters and Sara wasn't. She and I didn't spend that much time together after her and Gil got together unless it was on a case. Sara isn't really the social type. When Morgan and Finn came, it seemed to me like that Sara was fighting to have their attention. I really don't care too much for squabbling over the 'new kids on the block'. Honestly I just think that Sara just wants to feel included instead of being the constant outcast of the group." Heather simply listened intently to what Catherine was saying. Despite her own reservations about Sara's possible interest in Catherine, she felt herself falling harder because of how Catherine always found the light in someone regardless of the circumstances. "Hello" Catherine said as she waved her hand in front of Heather's face. "Where did you go?" "Nowhere. I'm right here." "Sure you are" Catherine said with a laugh before pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. "What's wrong?" "What makes you think that something is wrong?" "You have a tell. You bite your lip when your nervous." Catherine let out a shaky laugh and pushed her hair out her face. "I um I have a sonogram tomorrow. I was wondering if you'd like to come with me?" "Are you sure that you want me there?" "I'm more than positive. I would love for you to be there." "I'll be there."


	6. Chapter 6

Catherine nervously tapped her hand on the exam bed she was sitting on at her doctor's office. "Hey. It's okay sweetie, just relax. It's just a regular exam, right?" Catherine stopped tapping on the bed and looked up at Heather. "I'm sorry. This is the exam where I find out if I'm having a boy or girl. I'm shitting bricks right now." Heather chuckled softly before reaching out and running her index and middle underneath Catherine's chin, "Don't be so nervous. Think of this way, you'll either be adding more estrogen to the mix or shaking things up with a dose of testosterone. You're a great mother. This baby is lucky to have you. You'll do great raising this baby just like you've been amazing with Lindsey, Maria, and Anisa." "You me we" Catherine started as she made eye contact with Heather. The intensity in which Heather was staring at her made her uncomfortable and regretful of what she just said. "That is if you still plan on being around. I'm sorry for assuming" Catherine said just above a whisper. Heather lifted her face again and kissed her soundly on the lips. "I'm not going anywhere Cat. It just threw me off guard that you're not afraid for me to be around for the long haul." "Please stop doubting this Heather. I want to be with you. I want you to be with me and help raise my kids, which will later—hopefully—mean that they're yours as well. But only if you want to." With tears in her eyes, Heather responded "I want to be here more than anything. I just don't want you to feel pressured to include me into your life."

Catherine shook her head as she laughed, "Do I need to call Lindsey so that she can give you the same speech that she gave me?" Heather laughed in response as someone knocked on the door. They both looked in the direction of the exam room door as it opened and Catherine's doctor emerged. "Hello Catherine. Are we ready to find out whether it's a boy or girl?" Catherine nodded her head eagerly. The doctor turned on the ultrasound machine and squeezed some of the cold liquid onto Catherine's stomach. Catherine shivered the moment the gel hit her stomach and she gripped Heather's hand a little tighter. They were just seeing the baby on the screen when a knock on the door interrupted them. The doctor looked at Catherine with apologetic eyes, "I'm so sorry. They know not to bother me while I'm in an exam. It must be important." Catherine's anxiety rose slightly and she started to wipe the cold jelly off of it. "Catherine" Heather warned. "It's too cold." The door opened once more and the strained look on the doctor's face was noted first by Heather and a few moments later by Catherine.

"What's wrong? Is something wrong with my baby?" "I can't tell you the gender." "Why? Is the baby not cooperating?" The doctor looked at Heather before looking back at Catherine. Heather took the hint and started to leave but a hand pulling at her waist stopped her. "You can say whatever you have to say in front of her. She stays. She's my girlfriend." Heather couldn't hide the shock and pride that settled on her face as Catherine spoke with confidence. "I can't tell you because of this" she said before presenting Catherine with a blue folded document. Catherine couldn't believe her eyes and she felt her stomach drop. "I'm sorry Catherine but I was served with this. It's an injunction barring me from telling you the gender of your baby until an amniocentesis has been completed." "Please tell me you're joking?" Catherine said when she finally found her voice. "I'm afraid not. This injunction was signed by a judge. The only thing that I can tell you is that I strongly recommend that you go on bedrest. The amount of stress you've been under has affected your weight. Your baby is roughly a pound smaller than it should be at this point in your pregnancy. The added stress in your pregnancy could lead to you going into pre-term labor. Is going on bedrest now a problem with your job?" "I've got three months left. Is bedrest right now really necessary?" Catherine asked. "Cat" Heather said in a shocked but calm tone. "If the doctor is recommending bedrest, then that's what you'll do. Do **I** need to call Lindsey?" Catherine rolled her eyes and laid back down on the table. "Thank you doctor" Heather said as she shook her hand and closed the door behind her. Catherine got dressed in silence and Heather could immediately feel her mood change. Catherine got her next appointment date and walked in silence next to Heather all the way to the parking lot. Heather got in the driver's seat and pulled out of the parking garage. Heather drove for about 15 minutes before she glanced in Catherine's direction and saw the faraway look in her eyes.

"Cat. Sweetie, are you okay?" "I'm fine. Can you just take me by the lab? I need to tell Russell and Ecklie that I'm on bedrest." "We're already here." Catherine looked at Heather bewildered before looking out the windshield and seeing the lab in front of her. "I figured that you'd want to come here before going anywhere else. I'm glad that I was right." Catherine leaned over and kissed Heather on the lips before exiting the car. Catherine's nerves were on fire and her palms got sweaty along the path to D.B. Russell's office. She reached the door, ignoring all the curious looks and smiles from the other people in the lab, and rapped her knuckles on the door gently. She heard him tell her to come in and she opened the door before stepping inside. "Catherine. Hey what are you doing here? Your shift doesn't start until tomorrow." "That's what I'm here to talk to you about." She took a pause before continuing. "My doctor has put me on bedrest for the remainder of my pregnancy. She says that I'm too stressed out and that the baby isn't where it needs to be weight-wise at this stage in my pregnancy." "I see. Well we will be fine around here. You just take care of you and junior. Is junior a girl or boy?" "I didn't want to know yet. The news about the stress was more important than the gender right now", Catherine half-lied. D.B. let it go. "I'll let Ecklie know. Just make sure that you take care of the both of you."

Catherine said goodbye to Russell and hastily went back to the car. She kissed Heather once more, "Where do you want to go now?" Heather asked. "Home. I want you to meet my girls. Is that okay with you?" Heather smiled, "I would love that." Heather pulled off and intertwined her and Catherine's hands. Heather felt Catherine's hand shake and squeezed it tighter. "Sweetheart talk to me. What's wrong with you?" "He's never going to stop. He is set on making this pregnancy hell for me and he's succeeding. I'm right where he wants me…stressed out and scared." "Cat, I'm right here with you. I don't plan on leaving your side anytime soon. You have nothing to be afraid of." Catherine shook her head as tears filled her blue eyes and she yanked her hand away from Heather's. "I have every reason to be scared. What if he gets shared-custody or God forbid sole custody? What am I supposed to do with that? My track record with being a full-time mother and a CSI don't exactly scream confidence with Family Court. Lindsey nearly died the night that Eddie was killed. Maria and Anisa already come from a violent past. The only issue that Chris has is that he runs a nightclub. That isn't exactly 'bad father' material." "Regardless of how everything plays out, we will get through this together. I'm not letting you go again. I promise." Catherine let out a shaky breath before leaning back in her seat as silent tears made their way down her face. They pulled into Catherine's driveway and Heather shut the car off. She reached over and wiped away Catherine's tears with the pads of her thumbs. "I've got you Cat. No matter what…I've got you." Catherine smiled and looked out the front window to see Lindsey standing in the doorway with Anisa on her hip. Heather followed Catherine's eyes and laughed when Lindsey beckoned them with her index finger making the come hither motion.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Apologies for the delay. I am currently gearing up for my college graduation and I've been crazy busy. Will try to update more often. Happy Reading!**_

"We could hire another attorney or a private investigator to dig into his life. We still have options sweetheart." "So, you want to go to war with him?" "I'm perfectly find with going to war with him", Heather said pausing as she saw Catherine's expression. "But I guess we can think of other options like-" "Burying him alive." Lindsey supplied from her spot on the couch. "Lindsey!" Catherine exclaimed. "It's not that bad of an idea" Heather said softly. "Heather!" Catherine yelled at her girlfriend. Lindsey laughed as she hid her face behind a pillow. When she stopped laughing she looked over quickly at her mom, "I thought we were giving suggestions." Lindsey paused when she saw Heather trying to hide her smirk as her mother half-heartedly swatted her girlfriend. She watched their interactions and found herself happy at the thought of Heather sticking around. "Mom, what are you going to cook for dinner?" Lindsey asked while batting her eyes. Catherine started moving around the kitchen and both Heather and Lindsey watched her fluid movements. Lindsey started, "Well we could always have Chris kabobs-" "Or we could barbeque him." Heather finished with a broad grin. Catherine turned around with wide eyes as the both of them started to laugh. "What am I going to do with the two of you?" Catherine asked. "Love us to death" Lindsey supplied as she dramatically stretched her arms out to emphasize her point. Heather laughed quietly and tried to hide the blush that tinted her cheeks when she looked at Catherine.

A small tug on the bottom of her shirt made Heather turn to her left. She looked down and saw the big brown eyes of Anisa. She smiled brightly up at her and reached her arms up. Heather seemed slightly taken back by the little girl being so open to her presence. Nevertheless, she reached down and lifted Anisa up into her lap. Anisa squirmed as she got comfortable and turned in Heather's lap so that she was facing the woman. "I'm Anisa. What's your name?" "My name is Heather. You are a very pretty little girl Anisa." Heather said as she tucked a long strand of hair behind Anisa's ear. The little girl's cheeks turned a tinge of pink when Heather told her that she was pretty. She toyed with the gold bracelet that donned Heather's wrist before she looked up at the older woman. Brown eyes met green as Heather watched Anisa struggling to get her words out. Heather watched as her eyebrows scrunched together as they nearly touched while she let deep breaths in and out. "Ms. Heather?" "Yes." "Do you love Mommy Catherine?"

Heather heard Lindsey's gasp next to her and although Catherine's back was turned to them, Heather saw her freeze momentarily before going back to whatever she was doing. Heather took a moment to think before looking back at Anisa. She could also feel eyes on her from behind Lindsey and assumed that they belonged to Maria. "Yes Anisa. I do believe that I am in love with your Mommy Catherine." Catherine felt her eyes well up with tears. Maria finally made her presence known and slowly walked out from behind Lindsey and stared at Heather curiously. Although this woman just said that she loved their mom, Maria didn't want to just accept that. Ever since Catherine had told Maria and Anisa about their biological parents, she'd become very protective of her mother, as well as her two sisters. Maria also understood that her mom was about to have a baby and that she seemed sad a lot.

Heather turned to face her and she instantly froze; she didn't blink until she saw the woman's wide smile. "Well hello there. You must be Maria? I'm Heather" she said as she extended her hand. Heather was surprised to get such a firm handshake back. "You have a nice handshake." "Thank you. Uncle Nick taught me. He said that a strong handshake was important." "I think that your Uncle Nick is right about that one." Maria shifted nervously from foot to foot with a look on her face that seemed to let everyone know that she was deep in thought. "How long will you be around? Saying that you love my mom doesn't mean that you'll stick around." Maria said with an attitude that shocked both Catherine and Lindsey. Lindsey was sporting an 'oh shit' face and Catherine's face gave off a multitude of emotions all at once. "Maria! We do not talk to guests like that. I've taught you to respect your elders. You know better" Catherine said with her hands on her hips. Maria almost instantly hung her head and murmured a quiet apology. "It's okay Catherine." "Heather-"

Heather cut off Catherine next sentence with a raised hand. "Maria?" Heather said softly. Maria's regretful brown eyes rose to meet Heather's unreadable eyes.

"I plan on staying around as long as your mom wants me to. I love her so much. She is my best friend and I wouldn't trade her for a thing in the world." "What about us? What about me, Annie, and Linds?" Maria asked. "I hope that with time all of you will grow to like me. I know that being with your mom means that I'm with the three of you as well. I also hope that with time you guys will believe that I'm not going anywhere?" "And the baby?" Anisa asked from her spot on Heather's lap. "I would absolutely love to be in the baby's life as well. I know this may be a little difficult for you guys to understand, but this will not be an easy journey for all of us. We are all going to make mistakes and possibly say things that we don't mean. For me, the only thing that matters is that we work through any issues that we have…together." Catherine felt her eyes watering and turned back around to grab a knife and start chopping vegetables. Lindsey's phone was buzzing non-stop so she picked it up and started responding to her friends. Heather could feel that, unlike Anisa, Maria was still wary and uncomfortable around her. She cleared her throat subtly and got everyone's attention. "Can I tell you girls something?" She probed cautiously. Maria and Anisa both nodded so Heather continued. "I had a daughter. Six years ago, my little girl was ripped away from me" Heather paused and willed herself not to cry in spite of the tears that started to cloud her vision. Lindsey had stopped using her phone and laid it down on the counter as she balanced her body weight on her elbows, which were on the counter in front of her.

"What happened to your daughter?" Maria asked. "A very bad man didn't think that she should be alive anymore. He wasn't well and needed to see a doctor." Heather said as she put it mildly for the sake of the little girls. "When I first had my daughter, I would always think about what she would look like in Halloween costumes, school plays, ballet recitals, prom, seeing her graduate high school and later on college, her wedding and wedding dress, and finally her own children. I got to see everything except her wedding and grandchildren. I miss her terribly every single day but I am beyond grateful for the amount of time that I got with her. It wasn't always the best because we got into arguments. I had to realize that parents don't have all the answers and neither do their children. My daughter's name was Zoe. Zoe told me that she always thought that she would have little sisters. I like to think that if she were here now, then she would the idea of having three sisters."

"I know how hard it can be adjusting to your life after you've lost someone that you loved. The both of you lost your mom and dad but you were so lucky enough to get an amazing mother the second time around. Lindsey lost her dad and her grandad but she has friends to fall back on as well as her courageous mother and her brave little sisters. Your mom lost Lindsey's daddy, her daddy, one of her best friends, and her brother. She has all her buddies at the lab to fall back on as well as her girls. When I lost Zoe, I felt all alone. Her daddy didn't really care and I don't have many friends. I only had my brother until your mom came along. She helped me understand that losing someone that you love takes a lot out of you. She stayed by my side at every step and always wiped away my tears and made me feel better. I am madly in love with your mom and I love all of you individually because you are a part of her." Heather finished as a few stray tears made their way down her face. It was Maria who reached forward to wipe away her tears. Catherine finally turned around to face them as she tried to fan the new tears away before wiping away the ones that left a cooling sensation on her cheeks. Lindsey dabbed the corners of her eyes with a napkin, as to not ruin her makeup.

"Does she always do this?" Lindsey asked with a tear-filled laugh as she looked at her mom.

"You mean make you feel like a chump because she's such a sweetheart? Yeah she does."


	8. Chapter 8

Heather stirred slowly as she felt warm kisses on the back of her thighs. Heather was on her stomach with her hands placed securely underneath the pillow that smelled like blackberries. She smiled to herself as she felt Catherine's kisses go over her supple bottom and trail up her spine. She shivered when a kiss met the top of her shoulder blade and felt Catherine smile against her skin. "Good morning sweetheart." Heather turned over and smiled lazily at Catherine through hooded eyes. "Good morning beautiful." "You're hot." Heather smiled at that and murmured "Thank you." Catherine sat back on her knees as she straddled Heather's slim hips. "I meant that you must've gotten really hot last night because you're completely naked and we had no funny business last night." Heather looked down at her body and then looked up at Catherine's wide smile. "So, I'm not hot?" Catherine shook her head slowly from side to side. "You're not hot at all. You're a stone-cold fox." Heather pushed her body up and rested on her elbows. She was about to respond when the strawberry-blonde catapulted off her lap and rushed to the bathroom. Heather could hear her gagging and grabbed a nearby robe before going into the bathroom. She rubbed soothing circles on Catherine's back and held her hair back. "How long has this been happening?" Heather asked softly. "My anxiety makes it worse. After the doctor's appointment, the vomiting started to become more frequent." "What are you anxious about?" Heather prodded gently as Catherine turned to face her.

"Everything. Mostly Chris. This pregnancy is making me emotional and harboring on past choices…past mistakes." Heather knew that Catherine was hiding more but chose not to press her. She simply shook her head and helped her stand and go over to the sink. Catherine handed Heather a spare toothbrush and both women brushed their teeth in silence. Catherine's nausea jumpstarted again and she sat down on the bed holding her stomach. Heather went over to her and sat down to rub her back. "On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad does it feel?" Heather asked. Catherine hung her head, "Does the scale have to stop at 10?" They both heard a knock on the door. "Mommy Catherine?" Anisa's voice rang out through the closed door. "It's open baby." Catherine replied weakly. The door opened and Anisa came running in dressed in a purple dress and white sandals. "What's for breakfast?" the little girl asked sweetly. Catherine started to feel dizzy and gripped Heather's hand. "Why don't you lie back down. I'll fix breakfast for the girls." Heather said while urging Catherine to lie back. Catherine rose up once more and said, "I have to take the girls to school and pick up groceries and-" Heather pushed Catherine back onto the pillows. "I'll take the girls to school and get the groceries. I don't have a patient until this afternoon. He's my only patient today so I'm sure that I'll be finished with work when the girls get out of school." "Heather, that's too much back and forth for you. Driving across town and then back before you go downtown to work and all over again is too much." "You trying to drive anywhere with the spells you keep having will scare me and the girls half to death. I don't care about going back and forth. I care about you being safe."

"I just called the school and added Heather to the drop-off list for the girls. She can drop them off and pick them up now. I would stay with you but I have class today and a lunch date later on with Charlie. I called Mrs. Russell and she said that she'd be more than happy to spend the day with you; that way we all know that you're okay and taken care of." Lindsey finished and took a deep breath. The surprised looks on Heather and Catherine's face amused Lindsey. "What? The door is open and you two weren't exactly talking low." Heather turned around with her arms folded across her chest, "The kid has spoken. You plan on arguing with that?" Catherine tried to look annoyed but she felt too weak and merely leaned back into the mountain of pillows. Lindsey grinned in triumph and exited the room. Anisa looked expectantly at Catherine and then at Heather. "Are you making breakfast?" Heather smiled at her "Yes I will. How does French toast sound?" "Yay French toast." Both women grinned at Anisa and then Heather leaned down to kiss Catherine sweetly on the lips before heading to the kitchen. Anisa watched Heather intently as she made breakfast for the girls. Maria came downstairs and looked at Heather from behind in confusion. Anisa, who was spinning in the chair at the breakfast bar, turned and looked at Maria and smiled. "Mommy Catherine doesn't feel good so Ms. Heather is making us breakfast and taking us to school."

"Are you okay with that Maria?" Heather asked softly without turning around. Maria stood frozen and automatically assumed that Heather had eyes in the back of her head. She started to nibble on her fingertips. "That's a bad habit to have." Heather said as she turned around and looked directly at Maria. "I'm sorry" Maria mumbled and hung her head. Heather walked over to her and crouched down so that she was eye-level with Maria. She reached out and stroked the underside of Maria's chin. "You don't have to apologize honey. It was just an observation. Are you okay with me making breakfast and dropping you and your sister off at school today?" Maria nodded but the expression on her face let Heather to believe that she had more to say. "What's wrong with mommy?" Heather took a moment to stand and stretch a little. "She's feeling a little under the weather." "Because of the baby?" "A little, but also because she's been so busy being supermom that she forgot to take care of herself. In the meantime, I'm going to make sure that your mommy starts to feel better and part of that is taking care of you two for a little bit." Maria accepted that and went to the table and sat down next to Anisa and dug into her breakfast. Just before they were all about to leave, Heather looked up from rummaging through her briefcase to say, "Give kisses to your mommy." Both girls obeyed immediately and ran upstairs. "You're good with them. And with my mother. I hope that you're ready to join us in the war that's about to unfold. Chris doesn't give up easily and neither does my mom." Lindsey said as she slung her bag over her shoulder and jingled her keys in her hand. "You'll learn quickly that I don't either. What about you? Where do I stand with you?" Heather asked relatively unsure at that moment. With a sly grin that matched her mother's, "If I didn't like you, you wouldn't still be around." Heather laughed to herself as she watched Lindsey open and close the front door. She went to kiss Catherine goodbye and ushered the girls towards the front door. When she opened it, she came face-to-face with Barbara Russell.

"You must be Mrs. Russell." "Oh please, just call me Barbara. Hello girls." Mrs. Russell said. "Hi Miss Barbara." Both girls said sweetly and in unison. "You must be Heather?" Mrs. Russell said as she motioned to the woman. Heather hastily shook her hand and shook her head, "I am and we're going to be late. Thank you for staying with her." "It's not a problem. We have a lot of catching up to do." Mrs. Russell said as she saw the slight blush on her cheeks. Before Heather could respond, Barbara was shooing them away so that they wouldn't be late. She slowly made her way to Catherine's room, after she'd grabbed the bag she brought with her, and knocked on the door. She opened it enough to see Catherine smiling at her. "Hey Barbara." "Hey yourself. So, we have a lot to catch up on." Catherine raised her brows in mock confusion at Mrs. Russell's statement. "Oh no. don't you dare pretend to be innocent little missy. Boy or girl?" "I think your question should be Amnio or Labor and Delivery. Chris blocked me with another injunction." "Why is he fighting so hard if he doesn't actually want to be around?" "Because he feels that I wronged him and he wants me to be miserable." "Is that why all of this is happening?" she asked motioning between Catherine and the bathroom. "Yeah, that's definitely part of it." "And the other part?" Catherine's silence spoke volumes. "So, I take it by the look of pure bliss on Heather's face that she doesn't know the other part? Do you plan on ever telling her?" "I don't understand why I have to." "If you love her like the way she loves you, then yes you do need to tell her. She'll take it better if she hears it from you and not someone else." "Who else would tell her? You?" Barbara shook her head, "I wouldn't betray your trust like that. The other person who knows might do just that."


	9. Chapter 9

Heather felt eyes boring into her back and smiled to herself lightly. "Ms. Heather?" Maria said timidly. "Yes Maria." The young girl struggled with her words for a moment but eventually said, "I'm happy that you're here…to help mommy and to um to be with us." Heather stopped at the red light and turned around from the driver's seat. "I'm glad too Maria." Heather and Maria shared a wide smile momentarily before they both settled back into their respective seats. Heather took a couple of shortcuts to get to her house. Both girls looked amazed at Heather's huge home before getting out of the car. "This is your house?" Maria asked in amazement. Anisa's mouth was wide open before she yelled "Cool!" Heather placed a hand on both of their backs, guiding them to the front door, and unlocked her door. "Yes, this is my home. I'm just going to grab a few things and then we can go back to your mom's house." Anisa nodded wordlessly as she found herself in awe of the artwork. Maria couldn't tear her eyes away from vast bookshelves. She wondered over to one of them as Heather watched her with curious eyes. Heather watched as Maria's small fingers skimmed over book titles and stopped on the front of a rather worn copy. "What's To Kill a Mook-muck-" "Mockingbird" Heather supplied. "It's a classic book that teaches a lifelong lesson." "Can you read it to me?" Maria asked nervously. Heather walked over and ran her hand through Maria's thick ponytail. "How about I let you pick whatever book you want and we can take it with us." "Really? Any book? What if I like more than just one?" "Then, we can take more than one." Maria gave Heather the biggest smile that she could and started to raid the bookshelves. After about 45 minutes, Heather found herself loading four bags into her trunk before buckling the girls in and setting off for the grocery store.

Catherine woke up at the sound of music. She stretched her tired muscles and shifted under the mountain of cover. Barbara left around lunchtime so Catherine took a nap. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that it was almost 6pm. "I didn't know that I slept that long" she murmured before pulling herself up in bed and swinging her legs out. Catherine noticed that there were candles lit and the blinds were drawn closed. She saw a couples of bags in the corner that didn't belong to her. She smiled and grabbed a pair of fuzzy socks out of her dresser and pulled them on. She quietly opened her door and tiptoed downstairs. Perched at the base of her steps, Catherine smiled warmly at the sight of Heather, Anisa, and Maria dancing in the living room. She didn't know that Heather could sing let alone the fact that she would even be caught dead dancing to _Walking on Sunshine_. Catherine watched for a few moments before leaving the steps and entering the living room. Anisa saw her first and she quickly held a finger over her mouth signaling for her not to tell anyone. She nodded and happily went back to dancing. Heather and Maria were dancing together and Catherine took that moment to move in closer to her.

Catherine watched from afar as she saw a nurturing mother figure and it made her warm inside. She felt a smile tugging at her face and walked over quietly and wrapped her arms around Heather's waist from behind. Heather jumped slightly but relaxed into Catherine's embrace. "So, you're walking on sunshine huh?" Catherine asked as she kissed the base of Heather's neck. Heather shivered as Catherine's mouth hit her neck; she faltered slightly and turned her head around to kiss Catherine on the lips. Heather pulled away and blushed furiously. "I wasn't aware that you could be so carefree" Catherine teased as she held Heather just a bit tighter. "What can I say? You—all of you—bring out the best in me." Catherine nodded her head and kissed her girlfriend sweetly on the lips. Maria stopped dancing and grabbed Heather's hand, "We're not done dancing." Heather smiled and bent down to give her a hug. "Give me five minutes. I need to talk to your mom for a little bit." Maria shook her head and grabbed her sister's hand and continued dancing. Catherine pulled Heather to the side, sidestepping one of the large bags, and pulled her near the stairs. "Baby, I need to talk to you about something." Heather's smile immediately faded and worry etched her beautiful features. Heather thought that they needed more privacy so, she lead the two of them upstairs and into the bedroom.

Heather could see Catherine gnawing on her lip and she rubbed her hand up and down her lover's arm to calm her. Catherine sat down on the bed and motioned for Heather to sit next to her. "Heather, I have to tell you something. I want to tell you this before you hear it from someone else." "Cat, please tell me what's going on? Are you—Are you breaking up with me?" "What! No, I'm not breaking up with you but you might break up with me after I tell you." Catherine took a moment to compose herself; "I had a son once before." "You said had. What happened to him?" "He was murdered about 4 years ago." "Why do you think that would make me break up with you? Why are you telling me this now?" "I don't want you to be blindsided by the other person who knows about this." Heather's confusion deepened, "How would I be blindsided? Who else knows?" "Gil. He is the other person that knows. I wanted to tell you before he did. I know that the two of you are friends and I didn't want you to hear it from him." "Okay I follow you on that but what does Grissom possibly telling me about your son be such an issue?" "Because he'll blame you." "Why would he blame me?"

Catherine felt the tears welling up in her eyes and took a deep breath to slow them down. "Nearly six years ago, Warrick and I crossed a line that changed our friendship forever. His marriage had imploded and he showed up on my doorstep one night professing his love for me. I was hesitant because I'd wanted him for so long but I didn't want to be his rebound. He pursued me for a few months before I gave in and dated him seriously. We were together for about 7 months before I got pregnant. He found out that he possibly had a son with his ex-wife and everything started to go downhill. He was drugged and ended up cheating on me. We eventually cleared him and worked everything out. The night that he..the night that he.." Catherine struggled with her words and Heather saw the tears streaming down her face; she reached out to wipe them away. "The night that Warrick was murdered, I told him that I was 6 weeks pregnant. God, he was so happy and then everything came crashing down. Nick helped me through the pregnancy and I eventually told the team. I named him after his father. He looked just like him. He had Warrick's eyes, his hair, and most importantly his smile."

Heather stayed quiet as Catherine talked despite seeing how nostalgic she looked as she reminisced about Warrick. Catherine's voice brought Heather out of her thoughts. "Do you remember that night that you were having that horrible nightmare? The first time that you tried to kill yourself?" Heather nodded and felt tears pricking the corner of her own eyes. "That was the night he died. I left my house as soon as you called me because I could hear you giving up. I knew that you were going to attempt suicide because of how much you missed Zoe. I left Warrick Jr. with my mom and Lindsey. It was storming that night; he usually slept with me whenever it stormed so, he was in my bed. Shots were fired into my bedroom, which killed Junior." Catherine looked at Heather and saw her barely containing sobs. "Is Grissom going to blame me because you came to help me out that night?" "No. He blames you because it was your client that killed him." Heather's shocked gasp and wide, teary eyes broke Catherine's heart. "My client? I don't understand." "Melanie Diggs was one of your first clients. She became obsessed with you." "Yes, I remember. She visited my dominion for a while. She was persistent when it came to having a session with me. I made the mistake of giving in and then it all went haywire from there. I saw her outside of my dominion in settings that she shouldn't have been in. She went as far as booking spa appointments and dinner reservations at the same time I did. I revoked her admission to my dominion after she broke our scene and tried to kiss me." "She never let it go. She got better at following you and going unnoted. After Zoe died, it seemed like her focus became on anyone that spent significant amounts of time around you. Do you remember that cranberry and crème blazer with the floral etching stitched into the collar that you left at my place?" Heather nodded before speaking, "I remember that you brought it back over that night." "I think that she thought you and I were more than friends." "That's my fault. I talked—talk—a lot about you with my brother. If she was watching me, then, she could've known about my feelings for you."

Catherine saw the faint blush on Heather's cheeks and her uncomfortable feeling on her face; "I think that she was gunning for me that night. That blazer, your blazer, was hung on the door in my bedroom for days. I put it on the night that I came to check on you." "She thought you were me?" "Probably. And she thought that I was still in my bedroom. I think that when she fired into my bedroom, she thought she was killing me and not Warrick Jr." "Where is she now?" "She has her final appeal coming up next month" Catherine said with her head slightly bowed. She only looked up when she heard Heather's loud sob. Heather was furiously wiping away her tears just as fast as they were coming. Catherine wrapped her arms around Heather and let her breakdown. Catherine's hold on Heather got tighter and she released loud cries and sobs. "I am so sorry Cat. This is all my fault. Everything is my fault!" Catherine's shoulder had a puddle of tears soaking through her shirt as she gripped Heather even closer. "Baby please don't cry. None of this is your fault. Heather, we can't change the past; we can only control the future. This will not break us. We are stronger than this." Heather shook her head dismissively and buried her face in Catherine's neck. Her girlfriend continued to rub hands down her back, "I have to believe that Warrick Jr.'s time was up. I have to believe that it was time for him to join Warrick, my dad, and Zoe. I have to believe that they are looking down on us and protecting us. Nothing that Melanie did was your fault. She made her choice and she has to live with it. We will be fine Heather. I love you too much to let this break our relationship. I just needed to be the one to tell you." Heather lifted her head and saw Catherine's beautiful blue eyes staring back at her. "I love you Catherine. I love you so much. I never want to be without you ever again. I love your girls and this baby." "I love you too baby. So much! I know that you love _our_ girls and they love you too. We will be fine baby. We have some pretty bad ass guardian angels. Don't you think?"

The two women laughed for a little bit and Catherine laid back on the bed and pulled Heather to lay with her. "What's up with all the bags you brought back from your place?" Heather smiled and rubbed her hand across Catherine's baby bump. "Well, I don't know how long I'll be here so, those two bags in the corner are clothes and other things." Catherine ignored the saucy smirk on Heather's face when she said 'other things'. "And the ones downstairs?" "Anisa loved some of my paintings and art pieces, so we brought some over and picked up some arts and crafts. Maria, which surprised me, was completely enamored with my book collection. She likes To Kill a Mockingbird. I was thinking about reading her a couple chapters before bed. Lindsey also mentioned that she was into fashion and makeup. I had a couple of things that I think she'd like." Heather looked up at Catherine's smug smile and her brows furrowed together. "What?" "You spoil them rotten. You spoil all of us rotten." Heather kissed her sweetly and pulled away smiling, "Wait until I hit the baby stores."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: There will be friendships and other characters from different shows who may or may not have died. That doesn't crossover into this story.**

"Will you stop staring at me?" Heather finally said after a while. Her best friend, Jenifer Shepard, gave her a look that could've either been worry or humor. "That face is worse than the one you've been sporting for the past 10 minutes." Heather said as she looked Jenny in the eyes. "What's going on with you H?" "What makes you think that something's wrong?" Jenny gave Heather a once-over look before pursing her lips and taking a step forward. "Sweetie, you've been biting your nails and you never bite your nails. And you've being holding this pink dress and you don't wear pink. So, I'll ask again. What is going on with you?" "Nothing for you to worry about." "I always worry about you…ever since I met you." Heather looked up at Jenny and smiled widely. "Yeah like that time that I was dating that guy from the donut shop and you would come in and always say 'pop goes the weasel'. It was so embarrassing." "You laughed every single time so must've worked." "It was rude!" "It was honest! You can't tell me that every time you looked at him that you didn't think the same thing. He had so much acne…what did you ever see in him?" Heather bit her lip, suppressing a small, sad smile, "I saw enough to marry him."

Jenny felt like her jaw hit the floor. "Wait a minute, pizza face was Jerome?" "Yes. He was pizza face until he got a new dermatologist and started lifting weights." "That goes to show you that I paid very little attention to him to begin with." "That's true but you also had a foot out the door when I was a sophomore." "I'm sorry that I left you H." Heather looked up in mock shock. "Are you kidding me? What are you talking about? You were all about politics at the time so you chased the career you wanted." "Speaking of careers, what about yours? You've managed to circumvent this topic on numerous occasions. What in the hell made you want to be a dominatrix?" Heather took a deep breath and let go of the garment that she was holding. "It was something away from Jerome. I just felt like there was so much more to me that I hadn't discovered. I wasn't going to let my life boil down to being Jerome's wife. I ventured out on my own and realized that the conservative East Coast was not where I wanted to be. I went to Vegas and almost became a stripper to pay the bills. I became a paralegal at first but after seeing how lifeless it was, I decided to find another career. I hooked up with this guy and he let me take control of our culmination." "That was his first mistake and would you please talk normal", Jenny cut off with a sigh. "I am talking normal. I realized in that moment that I enjoyed being dominant and that I didn't want to be cookie cutter and normal. I wanted to be me in whatever capacity that was."

"So, who is it?" "Who is what?" "Answering a question with a question…interesting." "Why do you just jump topics like that? It has always unnerved me." "Ah deflection. You must really not want to tell me. Can I guess?" Heather glared at her best friend. "Who is he?" Heather instantly avoided eye contact and went back to rummaging through clothes. A lightbulb went off in Jenny's head, "H are you dipping in the lady pond?" Heather refused to turn around but Jenny persisted. "Brunette, blonde, or redhead?" "Wouldn't you like to know?" Heather mumbled before looking up and over Jenny's shoulder. Jenny followed her eyes and turned back around. "Why do you keep looking at that clock?" "What are you talking about?" "It's almost 3:00, you got a hot date or something?" "What? No. I just wanted to know what time it was." "It's almost three o'clock on a Wednesday." Jenny let that linger in the air for a moment before saying, "It's almost 3 o'clock on a Wednesday." "You already said that." "People are working, kids are about to get out of school, and life is going on as usual. The time is important to you right now because….your mystery girl has a child and/or children." Heather stopped moving and Jenny's smile widened. "How many kids?" "3", Heather murmured. "3? Girls or boys?" "All girls." "Ages?" "20, 6, and 4."

Jenny stopped moving completely and bit her bottom lip as she looked away. Heather noticed the silence and turned around, only to see Jenny now avoiding eye contact. "J? Jenny? Will you at least look at me?" Jenny reluctantly looked up, "What's wrong Jenny?" Jenny worried her lip and looked up to meet Heather's concerned green eyes. "Are you sure about this H?" "About what? Who I'm dating?" Heather hissed out as she stepped toward Jenny. "Look I don't care that you're having horizontal fun with a woman. As your friend, I care that you don't get hurt. I remember how bad you were hurt after your divorce and I almost remember in slow motion the complete devastation that you went through when Zoe was killed. I don't want whoever it is that you're dating to stick around long enough for you to get attached to her kids and then leave you!" "She's not like that!" Heather yelled.

Luckily, the boutique they were in was large and practically empty. Store workers looked in their direction but didn't approach them. Jenny squared her shoulders and got right in Heather's face, "How do you know that?" "Because she was there for me after Zoe was killed. I've been in love with her for 6 years and too scared to do a damn thing about it!" Jenny looked puzzled for a moment, "What are you talking about H? Don't act like I didn't try to be there for you. You iced me out!" "Because you were busy. You're always busy." "I would've dropped everything and you know that. You walk around pretending that you are cold and detached but you're really not. You're a lonely little girl with abandonment issues!" Jenny screamed at Heather. "You're just a bed-hopping power junkie who can't admit that she's in love with one of her employees!" Heather screamed back. By now, the boutique's foot traffic started to pick up and the cashiers were starting to worry about how loud they were, so they sent someone in their direction.

Heather felt her eyes filling with tears and she looked down, refusing to let them fall. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. This conversation was supposed to be easy. I was supposed to tell you that I'm in love and happy and you were supposed to be happy for me. instead…..instead we're fighting, which is something we haven't done in 15 years. What's going on with us J? What's happening in our friendship?" Jenny wasn't ready to speak right now because Heather had just verbally sucker-punched her. She took a long breath and adjusted her purse on her shoulder, "What happened? What happened is the fact that we clearly needed this argument. You needed to clear the air with what you thought about the blurred line between my sex life and my job. I obviously needed to express how I feel that you're a love-sick puppy. Look, I respect that you're happy but don't think for a second that I'm going to agree with it. You can be pissed with me for however long you feel like but you have blinders on. You buried a daughter, your only child, and she has not one but 3 daughters. You don't think that they weigh more on you than she does. I mean come on H, has she ever buried a child before?" "Yes." "What?" "She buried her son, her only son, because of one of my old patients."

Jenny really wanted to end this conversation but the depressed look on Heather's face made her engage once more. "I know you don't break confidentiality, but what patient? What happened?" "A female patient became far too engrossed with me, with my life. She became obsessed with me, so I referred her to someone else. I thought that was the end of it but I was wrong. She went after my girlfriend and started shooting into her bedroom. Instead of killing my girlfriend, she killed….she killed her little boy. The only reason why that happened was because she was coming to check on me and wasn't at home. She doesn't blame me but I blame me. If I hadn't called her then—" "Then she'd be dead and you'd probably feel worse. I'm not saying that she takes precedence over her son but you said yourself that you've been in love with her for 6 years."

Jenny saw a couple of tears track down Heather's face but resisted the urge to wipe them because she was still pissed. "Heather, I'm sorry that your girlfriend lost her son and that you blame yourself but that doesn't change where I stand." Heather's eyes swirled with fury, "Why can't you just be a good friend and be happy for me?" "Because I am you're real friend. If you wanted a yes person, then you definitely barked up the wrong tree. Real friends call you on your bullshit and tell you when something's not right. I'm going off of how long I've known you and what you tell me. To me, it looks like you've been pawning over this woman and she finally gave in. I think that you have fooled yourself into believing that her having daughters, especially one who's 2 years shy of how old Zoe was when she died, doesn't directly affect your feelings towards this relationship. I only have one question. If she didn't have kids, would the two of you even be together?"

Jenny waited for an answer and Heather couldn't give one. Jenny rolled her eyes and started to walk away. "I gotta go and do what I do best H, mix business and pleasure" Jenny said with a scoff as she stormed out.


	11. Chapter 11

"Baby is that you?" Catherine asked as a pair of hands were suddenly covering her eyes. She reached back and grabbed at the body positioned behind her. Catherine felt firm muscles but as her hands went up, she didn't feel breasts; instead, she felt a hard chest. Catherine whipped around and forcefully pushed the body away. "Chris? What are you doing here?" Chris Bezich looked Catherine up and down and gave her that smirk that she quickly started to hate. "I didn't think that your body would look this good but clearly I was wrong. Your body swollen with my baby. You're gorgeous you know that?" Catherine rolled her eyes. "Why are you here Chris? You want to give me yet another to want to kill you?" "I wanted to tell you that I'm willing to stop fighting with you but only on one condition." Catherine looked at him before narrowing her eyes, "What are you talking about?" "Give me and you another chance and I'll back off. I promise." "Are you fucking kidding me? You want me to be back in a toxic relationship with you just so you won't keep pushing this custody issue?" "Catherine you know you aren't happy with whoever this new guy is. We were electric together and we both know it."

Catherine pushed Chris out of her persona; space and folded her arms over her chest. "Let me get this straight. You've been putting me through complete hell because you want us to get back together? You have embarrassed me beyond belief since I told you about this pregnancy, which was something that I didn't have to do?" "So, why did you then?" Chris interrupted with an arrogant smirk. "Because that choice was taken from me when my mother was pregnant with me. It wasn't fair to me to only find out who my father was when I was an adult. I didn't do that to Lindsey nor was I going to do it to this baby. You cheated on me with who knows how many women yet, you think that this baby could be someone else's?" "You wouldn't talk to me. I know that I messed up and screwed around while we were together. When you walked in my office that night, I expected you to get mad, scream, throw something…anything. You just walked out and refused to talk to me." "So your bright idea to get me talking was to make me as uncomfortable as possible? This is a high-risk pregnancy Chris. I am 46 years old. I shouldn't even be pregnant! My daughters are 20, 6, and 4. Taking care of them and giving them all equal attention on top of my job isn't easy but I do it. I never thought that I'd get pregnant again nor did I honestly want to. I have already buried a child, then I had the bright idea to adopt two more. This pregnancy caught me completely off guard but I am so thankful that this baby is healthy thus far. I probably don't deserve much, but I do deserve this one moment of happiness, but you're hell bent on taking it from me." Catherine roughly wiped away the tears that fell from her face, ashamed that she was crying in front of Chris. Catherine looked at him and for a split-second, she thought she saw a human being. He reached out to her and she backed away.

"Catherine? Is everything okay?" Heather asked as she seemed to appear out of nowhere. Heather moved past Chris like he was invisible and wrapped Catherine up in a hug that she quickly returned. Heather whispered soothing statements in her ear before pulling away and planting a kiss on her lips. "What the? This is who you're with? You left me to start banging some skinny dyke? You think I'm letting her raise my child? This custody battle is about to get really fucking nasty Catherine. Mark my words." Catherine froze when Chris initially started to insult Heather. She flashed back to a time when Eddie was in one of his drug-induced rages and felt a chill go down her spine. She briefly looked at Heather, whose green eyes were quickly turning darker with anger and her jaw tightened. Heather turned around fuming. She let Chris finish and stepped right in his face while keeping Catherine securely behind her. "You don't have a problem with me because I'm with Catherine, you have a problem with me because she could never love you the way that she loves me. You want to control her and I want her to always have control. She's merely a pound of flesh to you but she is my reason for living. You got her body, I got her heart. You wanted to show her off as your trophy, but she is my attraction. You're threatened by me because I don't fear you or your empty threats. You wanted her power but I gave it back to her. You feel proud that you have her somewhat cornered with your baseless shenanigans; the simple truth is that you underestimated the people that she has in her life. I'm not going anywhere so you need to get used to that concept. I can raise a lot more hell than you can on a good day. I've had men just like you groveling at my feet." Heather grabbed Catherine's hand and started walking away from Chris. She stopped momentarily and turned around to say, "It appears that the electricity the two of you shared has fizzled out. Unlike you, my love for Catherine can't and won't be turned off like a switch. Bring all the fight you want…I'll be waiting." Chris stood motionless with his mouth agape as the two women eventually let his field of vision.

Back at Catherine's house, Heather helped Catherine prepare dinner while avoiding the conversation that occurred nearly an hour prior. Catherine looked over at Heather every couple of minutes, who was peeling potatoes and pretending like she didn't feel Catherine's eyes on her, and worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "So, about my house?" Heather said randomly and successfully captured Catherine's attention, "I thought you didn't want to sell it?" "I don't but I have an idea." "Which is?" "Turn it into a home-away-from-home for Lindsey." "I'm sorry. You want to give Lindsey your entire house?" "Yes and no. Lindsey told me that she and her friends are all practically conjoined at the hip. She also plans on pledging a sorority and it could be their sorority house. Sweetie, the only reason why Lindsey hasn't started partying, that you know of, is because she lives here. She decided to stay in Vegas instead of going away for school. Shouldn't we at least give her an appreciation gift for that?" Catherine's brow furrowed even more, "Your idea of an appreciation gift is giving Lindsey your massive house?" "She'd have the freedom that she craves, the privacy and neutral environment for her age, and she wouldn't be paying anything. She has no reason to not have great grades." Heather defended. Catherine clicked her tongue and went back to cutting celery. "What happened with you and Jenny today?" Heather was thrown off by the question and couldn't mask it at all. "I've already told you Heather…you're not that hard to read. You were talking about baby stores before you and Jenny met up. Now, you're considering giving Lindsey your house. What happened?"

Heather put the potato peeler down and placed all the potatoes into the bowl of water next to the sink. She avoided Catherine's gaze and grabbed a nearby towel to wipe her hands. "We had a fight" Heather murmured. "Okay. when's the last time you two had a fight?" "Never." Catherine put a hand on her hip, "Never? In 20+ years of friendship, you two have never had a fight? Baby, it was time. No relationship, including friendship, can survive without some sort of fight. What was it about?" "You. Jenny feels that I have blinders on when it comes to you because of your girls." " _Our_ girls? Do you?" "No. Yes. Well no. I do love you but the girls make it an easier decision. Jenny's waiting for you to break my heart. She told me that I pushed her away after Zoe died. She also told me that I was a lonely little girl with abandonment issues." Catherine calmed herself down a bit, "And what did you say? Did you push her away?" "I told her that she was a bed-hopping power junkie that couldn't admit that she was in love with one of her employees." "Damn." "I know. Not one of my finest moments. I did push Jenny away. I pushed everyone away and tried that with you but I was pulled towards you rather than away from you."

Catherine stood in-between Heather and the sink, "Baby I love you but you are very stubborn. Jenny is hurt because you blocked her out but let me in. She has known you way longer than I have and that probably hurt her to her core. She lost Zoe too. She grieved for her because I'm sure that she was an intricate part of her life. You're amazing at reading everybody but yourself. Jenny is the best friend that you've pretty much cast aside for the past 6 years if not more. She doesn't trust me based off of what you've told her." "Right. I'm sorry about that. I didn't even acknowledge how it must have hurt her for me to pull away." "Invite her to dinner." "What?" "Invite Jenny to dinner. She can decide for herself, after meeting me, what her feelings about our relationship are." Heather walked over to Catherine, "I love you so much. I'll call her and hopefully she'll actually pick up so that I can invite her to dinner." "And about Chris-" Catherine started before Heather silenced her with a kiss. "That was just a preview."


	12. Chapter 12

"Thank you for coming Jenny" Catherine said as she sat down across the table from their dinner guest. Jenny smiled politely at Catherine and let her eyes roam over the table. "I'm happy that you agreed to come. I wanted the two of you to meet…officially" Heather said with an acute level of anxiety and apprehension. Jenny took a big gulp of her wine and placed the glass back on the table. "Let's just cut to the chase. How long is this going to last before you walk out and break her heart?" Jenny asked with an edge to her voice. "J!" Heather gaped but Catherine touched her hand, "It's okay Heather. Nothing is definite and the only thing that is certain is death. I don't plan on walking out or hurting Heather at any time in the future. I love her a lot more than I ever expected to. I have a horrible track record with relationships. I'm snarky at times, bitchy, and cold when I want to be. When I first met Heather, I was simply amused by how uncomfortable she made Gil. As the case continued, I started to see her in a different light. Sure, she was this powerful force that could make just about anybody fall to their knees…but she was so much more. There was so much life in her eyes and smile when she talked about Zoe. After I wrapped my case up, Heather surprised me by asking me to have tea with her. I did and it was then that I saw Heather in a different light. I couldn't handle the unsuspecting attraction that I had to her. I never thought that I would be sexually attracted to a woman…but I was. I have a checkered past. I'm the former stripper daughter of a casino boss and a showgirl. I married young to an abusive coke addict and developed a habit myself. By the time that I met Heather, it had been 8 years since a busted my ass to create a healthier and safer life for me and my daughter. I wanted to have Heather as a friend and not a lover because I'd only screw it up in the long run. I tried to distance myself from her as much as I could. I was developing feelings for Heather while already being in love with one of my best friends. She was immensely close to Gil, so I pulled away. Warrick and I had a son. He was so perfect with his bright green eyes and freckles. He looked just like Warrick. Lindsey used to tell me that all I did was carry him. The night he died Heather called me. I'll never blame her for his death because an unstable woman wanted to kill me—not him. I never knew that the two of you had grown apart as we grew closer. If I had, I would've forced her to talk to you because you are as much a part of Heather as Zoe was. You knew her way before I did and share memories with her that I couldn't have if I tired. My rock through most of my ups and downs has been Nick. Gil and Warrick knew things but Nick was the only person that I told everything to. Everyone needs that one person and I hope that my relationship with Heather doesn't take that from the two of you. She loves our children more than I thought someone could. It's as if she's been here from the very beginning rather than just now. This pregnancy threw me off completely. I've been and still am so scared that I will lose this baby. I'm too old and far too stressed out by Chris to think that this pregnancy will be smooth sailing. I took in two little girls because their mother was an employee of mine and killed by their father. They had no one and I didn't even think before I agreed to raise them. I am afraid that I will fail my children as a mother. I am terrified that I will fail Heather in our relationship. I deserve a lot of things and Heather's love is not high on that list. I can't hurt her because she is the last person that I can give all my love to. I am running on the fumes of heartbreak and heartache. I can't walk out on her because I don't think that I can live without her." Catherine hadn't realized that she talked for so long or that she was crying until Heather reached out and wiped her tears away. Catherine looked down and avoided everyone's eyes.

Jenny grabbed her napkin and wiped away the tears that escaped her eyes as Catherine spoke. Heather kept rubbing soothing circles on Catherine's back as she used the other hand to wipe her own tears away. She looked over at Jenny and cleared her throat before speaking, "Jenny, I am so sorry for shutting you out. I never meant to hurt you, but I was so lost without her. You were there for my overwhelming morning sickness. You were there for the first kicks and all my ultrasounds. I dislocated one of your fingers when I was in labor. You cried the first time you held your goddaughter. You were there when I finally left Jerome. You were there for so much…yet I wanted to be so isolated. It was selfish of me to push you away and I'm sorry for that. I didn't know what to do and for that I am so terribly sorry. I never took the time to understand how bad I hurt you. I'm also sorry J…about what I said to you at the boutique. It was cruel and insensitive." Heather reached a shaky hand to touch Jenny's hand. She was surprised to feel Jenny squeeze her hand back.

Catherine was still trying to compose herself and stop her silent tears. "It was true" Jenny whispered out as she raised her watery green eyes to Heather's. "I am in love with Jethro. I love him with every fiber of my being but I'm no good to him. I walked out on him once and he never really got over it. I guess I didn't either, but I'm better at hiding it. I can't have children. You know that but he doesn't. He wants to be a dad again so badly and I can't give that to him. It's easier to just be his boss and not cross that line again. He deserves someone that can give him everything he desires in life. That woman is not me. I was truly hurt when you stopped talking to me. I lost her too. I missed her laugh and her jokes too. I missed the secret conversations we had before I always convinced her to talk to you. I miss seeing the little girl that I was convinced would become a ballerina. I will always miss her and a big piece of me died when she did." Jenny let go off Heather's hand, "I missed my best friend too. You've always been the sister that I never had H. I missed the unwanted vocabulary lessons you gave, the tea times that made me feel like an old woman sometimes, and even the speed dating that you always set me up on that were disasters. I just missed you. When you told me about Catherine, I was pissed because I felt like you only told me because you had to. You knew at some point our paths would cross. It hurt that you cut me out of your life and let her in." Heather had fresh tears rolling down her face as Jenny continued talking, "I came here with every intention of hating Catherine. I can tell when someone is spouting bullshit and for a small moment, I hoped that she would. What I see here is a woman that is giving her all to you. She's giving you the good, bad, and the ugly and expecting the same from you. She loves you far more than Jerome ever did and for that…I don't have a problem with your relationship. Now can I have my friend back?" Jenny asked in a tear-filled whisper.

Catherine finally looked up with a brilliant smile on her face as Heather and Jenny hugged each other. They stayed that way for a while before pulling apart, "Do you want to meet our daughters?" Catherine asked as she stood up. Jenny rubbed her belly softly and smiled, "I'd love to."


	13. Chapter 13

Heather jolted up in bed and tried to catch her breath as she heaved for air. She laid a hand on her chest and took deep breaths just to slow down her heartbeat. Heather looked at Catherine, who was sleeping peacefully, and gingerly pulled away from her and got out of bed. Heather froze when Catherine shifted and reached out for her. She held her breath until Catherine wrapped around the empty pillow and went back to sleep. Heather excused herself from the room and silently left the bedroom and went downstairs. She turned the corner, going into the kitchen, and nearly jumped out of her skin as she stared at Lindsey's back.

"Do you want some tea? It's vanilla." Lindsey asked without even turning around. Heather hesitated and Lindsey peeked over her shoulder. She noted the dark circles under Heather's eyes and turned back to the stove. "I'm sure you don't want to eat but an egg-white omelet helps the tea settle your stomach and nerves." Heather sat on a nearby stool and accepted the offered tea as Lindsey made her an omelet. "I usually get up around this time every night because one of the girls wake up. They used to just climb into bed and sleep with me. Sometimes they were hungry and this method worked for me when I was their ages." Lindsey slid a plate across the counter and sat down next to her. "So what's wrong? Nightmare or Insomnia?"

Heather didn't respond for a few minutes, quietly eating her food, and eventually supplied, "Insomnia. Gets worse the closer it gets to the anniversary of Zoe's death." Lindsey refilled her tea and finished her omelet. "Mine gets worse the closer it gets to Junior's death. Every year around this time I can't think straight or sleep through the night. I guess I blame myself because mom wanted me to look after Junior and I was tired and didn't want to so I left him in her bed. Then he…wound…up dead." Heather rubbed her fingers across Lindsey's knuckles, "It wasn't your fault. If there's one thing that I learned from your mother is that people make their own choices good or bad. They make the decision to either save life, protect life, live life, or take life. Junior's death doesn't fall on any of us. The only person that's responsible is the woman that killed him. It'll get better." Lindsey looked at Heather, "For the both of us?" she asked the older woman. Heather let Lindsey lay her head on her free left shoulder and ran her fingers through the wavy brown hair. "Yeah, for the both of us. Thank you for this…the tea and the omelet. This helped." Lindsey cleared their plates and turned, leaning on the sink, "I'm happy for you and my mom but you've still got some people to get past. You need to get the okay from my grandmother, my aunt Nancy but most importantly Nick, Sara, and Brass. Those three will probably be the hardest. My mom saved them; she saved them from themselves and the toxic people they had in their lives. They'll give you the most hell but for good reason."

Heather sat motionless and looked past Lindsey out the window. The younger woman spoke up, "You know something I learned from my mom? Sometimes the best people don't realize that they need a little saving too. You're one of those people Heather."

 **A/N: Story's not over, just a little filler chapter. Brass and Heather meet up again in the next chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14

"Nicky can I talk to you for a second?" Catherine asked when she turned the corner. Nick stopped walking and turned around to give Catherine his full attention. "What's up Cath?" Catherine grabbed Nick's wrist and walked them into her office before closing the door. "I um…I wanted to run something by you." Nick's confusion was evident as he gave Catherine a once over look, "Is this about the case because I already told Greg-" "No it's not about the case. I'm actually um seeing someone. I'm dating someone." "Oh. Do you think that's a good idea? It's not Chris is it?" "God no. I've been in love with her for years but I never said anything."

Nick took a moment to process what she had just said. He looked up at her with a foolish grin, "Cath's got a lady? Who's that lady?" Nick asked her as he sang off-key. Catherine couldn't help but to laugh at him. "Seriously, Catherine who is this woman?" "It's Heather. Lady Heather." Catherine struggled to not laugh at the fish out of water expression that Nick had. "Whoa whoa whoa. You've been in love with Lady Heather and the two of you are now dating? For how long?" "Not that long, but it is serious. She's been around the girls and they love her. She hasn't officially sat down with my mother because she's been out of town. She hasn't met you guys because I didn't know how to make that happen. Heather and I love each other and I think that it's time for the people that I care about the most to have an introduction. You are my best friend…you are the perfect person to tell first. So, what do you say? Ready to meet my girlfriend?"

Nick sat down and toke a swig of coffee, "Your girlfriend is pretty scary. I mean she does own a fetish club and she's a shrink." Catherine rolled her eyes, "Owned a fetish club. She's a psychiatrist with patients that need her." "That's cool and all but I thought that her and Grissom were pretty chummy back in the day." "They were but according to Heather, Grissom told her that she would only ruin me. As far as I know, they aren't friends anymore, but I could be wrong. Nick it's important to me that you at least give her a chance. I truly love Heather and besides my girls, she has been one of the few upsides to this pregnancy." "Catherine you know I support you 100%. I just want you happy. If you being happy means that you're with Lady Heather, then so be it. If anybody can put Chris in his place for good, it's probably Heather. What are you going to do about Sara and Brass? They can't stand her."

Catherine started to pace the small space, "Brass doesn't have a lot of contempt for Heather on a personal level…just a professional one. He always wanted her to cooperate more than she was willing to. He may not be that big of a problem. Then again, he could be because he and Gil are pretty tight. Sara on the other hand will be the biggest problem yet. She and I have spent years trying to be and maintaining our friendship. Sara has the biggest issue with Heather and we both know that it's because of Gil. I was wondering if you would help me, maybe be a buffer, for me to tell Jim and Sara about Heather?" Nick looked at the hopeful look on Catherine's face and caved, "Of course I'll help you Cath. Mostly because I love you but also because I think it'll be pretty entertaining." Catherine swatted her hand at him and chuckled softly. "Anything else Cath?" She looked up at him. "Yeah tell Greg that any experiments that are flammable or explosive belong outside this lab. I am not about to have that conversation with Russell or Conrad again."

Nick saluted her and left the office with a big grin. Catherine picked up her phone to text Heather. _Nick said that he was okay with meeting you. He even agreed to be the buffer between you, Sara, and Brass._ Catherine waited on her reply just as her door opened once again. Ellie Brass surprised her when she walked in. "Hey Catherine!" "Hey Ellie. How is Junior doing?" Ellie reached behind her and picked up the swaddled baby. "We just visited Daddy and he went right back to sleep. How are you doing?" Ellie asked pointing at Catherine's swollen belly. "No two days are the same. Sometimes the baby doesn't move for hours and other days it doesn't stop moving. Today is one of those days." "How do you deal with it?" "I usually just stay on my feet as much as I can handle and then I find the most comfortable position and muddle through." Ellie gave her a sympathetic smile, "Well you are a stronger woman than I am. Anyways, I wanted to invite you to our official housewarming party this weekend." Catherine took the offered invitation with glee, "Your house is finished? How long did you ride Greg's case for that to happen?"

Ellie laughed, "For a while. Although it did help that I could guilt him with being the mother of his child, the changes that my body has gone through, and the infamous labor and delivery." Catherine reached over and gave her a high five. Ellie got ready to leave but turned once more to say, "You can bring the girls and whoever it is that you're dating?" Catherine's jaw dropped. "How did you know I've been dating someone?" "You're happy—truly happy—for the first time since you've gotten pregnant. There has to be someone new in the picture and they are invited to our housewarming as well." "We'll be there." Catherine's phone vibrated, _I can't wait to meet them. Hopefully all goes well. My only question is can it wait until this weekend because I have plans with Jenny._

 **A/N: Next chapter is Ellie and Greg's housewarming party. Expected and unexpected guests will make an appearance.**


	15. Chapter 15

Greg and Ellie's party was in full swing. She was impatiently looking out her bay window waiting for Catherine to arrive. Just about everyone had arrived, except Catherine and Grissom. Ellie let out a breath through her nose and jumped up when she saw Catherine's SUV pulled into her driveway. She tapped Nick on the shoulder to alert him to the new guests arriving. Catherine and Heather climbed out the dark SUV and opened the rear doors for the girls. Lindsey decided to drive her own car to the party. She got out the gifts that the family had bought for Greg and Ellie. Heather unbuckled Anisa from her seat and helped her get out the car; Catherine did the same with Maria. They all walked hand-in-hand up to the house. Nick and Ellie came outside to greet them.

"Hey Nicky" Catherine said with a big hug. Nick returned the hug eagerly. "Hey girls. Uh hey Lady—" "Heather is fine" Heather said with firm handshake. Nick was unusually nervous and everyone could feel it. Ellie spared him the embarrassment by ushering them in. She hung back next to Heather, "I'm Ellie by the way. I want to ask you a question, how long have you loved her?" Green eyes locked together before Heather spoke, "About 7 years but it took me a while to admit it to myself." Ellie nodded her head in understanding, "Do you know about Chris?" "Yes I do. I've had the displeasure of meeting him." "You know he won't stop?" Heather clasped her hands together, "I know that but I will never stop protecting her. I love Catherine more than I've ever loved anyone. I love our girls and OUR unborn child. I've dealt with people a lot tougher than Chris." Ellie just looked at her for a moment, before shrugging her shoulders and walking further into her living room. The general buzz of the room came to a halt when Catherine's family stepped into the massive room. Greg had a massive smile on his face as he walked over to greet his boss/friend and her family. He knelt down to speak to the girls before standing back up and extending his hand to Heather, "Hello Lady Heather. I'm Greg and this is our home. I'm sure that you've met the majority of the people here." Greg pointed to the newer faces of the crowd before speaking, "This is Finn, Morgan, Henry, Archie, Hodges, and Mandy. Guys this is Catherine's girlfriend Heather Kessler. Now don't be shy everyone….go mingle." Sara remained frozen in place as she looked at Catherine with a hurt expression.

Sara's long strides stomping across the room would've made anyone nervous, except for Catherine. Catherine anticipated this reaction and braced herself for Hurricane Sara. Heather moved to get between them but Catherine shook her head no. Catherine walked towards what she thought was the kitchen with Sara following behind her. Brass nudged Heather's elbow the minute that the girls took off in different directions. Heather went to the patio with him, "Heather. this is quite the surprise." "And what would that be? Catherine and I being in a serious relationship or Grissom and I not having one at all?" Brass simply shrugged, "Both I guess. Look I figured that you and Gil had something going on. now it's not my business but Catherine has been my close friend for a long time. Hell, I watched Lindsey grow up and everything else in-between. I will say that I haven't seen her this happy in a while, so please don't hurt her. I just need you to promise me that you'll love her unconditionally and realize how truly lucky you are. If you can do that for me then I can stay out the way and protect all the Willows from a distance." Heather chuckled at his protectiveness and reached into her purse to pull something out. "Does this classify as loving her unconditionally enough for you?" Heather asked with an uncharacteristically shy smile as she opened the velvet box with a shining diamond. Brass was speechless.

"You want to marry her?" Heather rolled her eyes, "I want everything with her. I just don't know if she'll actually say yes." He pulled her into an awkward hug but broke it quickly when he looked over her shoulder and saw a new arrival standing in the doorway. Heather turned around and quickly dropped the ring back in her purse. "Grissom, I didn't expect to see you here." Grissom merely shrugged and walked towards her. "I figured after our last conversation, you would understand. I thought we were on the same page. You will ruin her Heather because you ruin everything." Heather's temper erupted, so she got right in his face. "You need to look in the mirror. You have been pissed at me because I didn't want you. I didn't want to be a pawn in your misconstrued jealously game with Sara. I didn't want to be wrapped up in a man who ran from anything that required having an actual emotion. You're angry because you can't control me or any other woman with a backbone. You ruined your marriage…not me. You wrecked your friendship with Catherine, not me. I have always loved her and you have always taken advantage of her. Go to hell Grissom and take your bugs and self-pity with you!" Heather went back inside and Brass looked at Grissom with a _'what the hell were you thinking look'_

"What the hell was that Gil? I didn't tell you about the party for this to happen, I told you because I wanted you to meet my grandson." Heather ducked in a bathroom to gather herself. Further down that same hall, Catherine leaned heavily against a wall as she listened to Sara chastise her like a small child. "Catherine are you insane? What is with you and broken relationships? You are a magnet for lunatics that you willingly sleep with and let into your life. you—" Catherine felt like she'd been punched as Sara kept ranting. In her mind, every one of Sara's words hit home because they were true. Catherine shook off those thoughts when she thought of Heather. Heather was different from Eddie, Chris, and every other man that she dealt with over the years. Ellie had enough and came around the corner so fast that Catherine jumped. "Sara shut the hell up! I invited Heather because she makes Catherine happy. If you were her real friend, then you'd be as happy for her as she was for Grissom when he started dating you. All this negative bullshit you're ranting about needs to come full circle to yourself. You are angry with Grissom, not Catherine. Go take it up with him…he's on the patio. Leave her alone before I give you a taste of New Jersey."

Sara stormed off and Ellie looked at Catherine, "You okay?" Catherine looked up with watery eyes and whispered, "I think my water just broke. It's too early. I can't deliver now." Ellie looked at Catherine's thighs with wide eyes, not mentioning that it was blood instead of fluid, and called out for Greg. Greg hoisted Catherine up and ran towards the front door. Heather beat them to the car and helped get her inside. Catherine tried to stay strong, but the pain was like nothing she'd dealt with before. Even with Heather pressed up against her, Catherine clawed to get her closer. Heather ignored the stinging sensation of Catherine's nails digging into her hands and forearms. She held Catherine close and whispered in her ear, "I've got you baby. We'll make it to the hospital, don't you worry. I'm not leaving you." Catherine cried silently while Heather let a few stray tears fall as she tried to stay strong and calm for the both of them. Greg dangerously swung the SUV right up to the emergency room entrance door. He rushed out to find a doctor and came back with what seemed like the entire ER staff. Catherine panicked at the amount of people swarming around her as the bright fluorescent lights of the building made her head spin. Catherine was whisked into a smaller room as the medical staff attended to her.

She went in and out of consciousness desperately croaking out for Heather. She pulled the oxygen mask off her face and tried to talk. A nurse quickly put it back on, "Ma'am you need to keep the mask on. Heather can't be with you right now and we have to get this bleeding under control before we lose the both of you." Catherine's lips trembled, "bleeding?" was all she could get out her blood pressure skyrocketed and she succumbed to the darkness. Heather couldn't stop her hands from shaking nor could she stop the sobs from deep within that bubbled to the surface. Greg held her in a tight embrace as they vaguely saw Catherine being rushed to an elevator. Long seconds turned into minutes which turned in hours as Heather and Greg waited for answers. Greg's pacing started to drive Heather mad but thankfully everyone else arrived within a couple of hours. Now instead of tacky, mute furniture and uncomfortable silence, the waiting room was filled with people she'd met years ago and new ones that she'd met that day. For some reason, they all made her feel better. She felt like Catherine was absorbing their unified strength. Heather didn't bother trying to keep her composure any longer when she saw the girls. Ellie maintained a rather boisterous conversation with everyone else to give them a semi-private bubble to comfort one another.

8 hours, 4 cups of bad coffee and three cups of amazing tea (thanks to Lindsey) and Heather finally let out a sigh of relief when she saw a doctor's face. The tall man walked over towards her and momentarily faltered in step when the large crowd of people all stood up with her. Heather nodded her head to let the man know that he could update all of them. "Catherine is stable for now but she's not out of the woods. She lost a lot of blood and she's is currently being slowly transfused to bring her volume back up. Catherine experienced a uterine rupture. Although it is not extremely common, I have dealt with over a dozen during my career thus far. The rupture lead to hemorrhaging, so we had to deliver your son by way of cesarean. He's in our NICU and has a long road, but he's strong. Even though he's only 3 lbs., he's one of the strongest premature babies that I've seen." Heather's green eyes shined bright with tears, "A son. I have a son?" The doctor gave her a small smile and held out his hand, "Why don't I take you to go meet him." Heather and her daughters eagerly set off to see the baby boy. It took her a few tries but Catherine managed to open her eyes a little before the light forced her to close them again. When she could keep them open, the first thing she saw was Heather fast asleep, half laying on her hospital bed and holding her right hand. Catherine looked to her left and saw Lindsey's hand, but not before she saw the ring on her once-naked finger. She tried to smile and looked up to see Lindsey's beautiful smile directed right at her. She leaned forward and whispered to her mother, "You might as well say yes so that we can all be Willows…all 6 of us." Catherine felt Lindsey wiping away tears she didn't feel fall. "Yes mom. All 6. The baby survived too. He's so small but he looks like a fighter. Here, I took pictures." Lindsey scrolled through her phone and showed Catherine the pictures of her little brother. "We didn't name him. What does he look like to you? A Brandon, Wyatt, Maxwell?"

Catherine's voice sounded foreign to her but she rasped out, "Did Heather ever tell you her dad's name? That man raised one hell of a daughter by himself and that girl became the love of my life. I want to name him Troy Samuel Willows after Sam and Heather's dad." Heather had been awake for a few moments before she closed her eyes again and murmured, "I love that name future wife."


End file.
